


Made To Order

by MagicVickri, SassyLassy



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: All the overwatch heroes are actually going to appear but decided to only tag the major characters, Also College AU but more focus on the Diner part, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mentions of PTSD, Multi, Swearing, diner au, there's even more side pairings that are slated to appear wink wonk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2018-09-23 00:35:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 47,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9631895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicVickri/pseuds/MagicVickri, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SassyLassy/pseuds/SassyLassy
Summary: Hana Song has just started college, but wants to keep herself busy and to have a steady income. She comes across the well-known diner in town and gets a job as a waitress. What she doesn't know is that she just signed up for an adventure of a lifetime.





	1. The New Girl

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!! I'm so fucking excited to share this diner AU with you all. No, really, I'm going off the wall about how pumped I am. I came up with this AU one morning at work and worked out the details throughout the day, and I shared this idea with my good pal Sassy. They suggested a collab and well, here we are!
> 
> This AU is also inspired by my own experiences, and based on a diner I frequented while I was going to college in Massachusetts. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy!!

Hana’s alarm clock was screaming next to her ear, but she tried everything in her power to ignore it. Sleep refused to leave her body, so she rolled around for a few minutes while her alarm continued to go off. A few of her small plush bunny stuffed animals fell off her bed with a soft  _ plop _ , and Hana let out an annoyed groan. She slowly rose from under her blankets, slapped her alarm clock off, and rubbed her eyes. As her hands fell from her face, she peered out the window by her bed and saw that the sky was still pitch black. 

 

It was her first day at her new job, and she was gonna have to get used to waking up to this.

 

Onto the hardwood floor of her dorm room apartment, she shuffled along into the bathroom and began her morning routine. Hana took a quick shower, and once she hopped out and dried herself off she dove right into teeth brushing. A spit take later, she pulled her hair into a bun and left the bathroom to get dressed.

 

As soon as she was fully clothed, she wrapped herself into her favorite winter coat, grabbed her small purse and keys and headed out the door. 

 

\---

 

Her destination was not far; Hana kept her moped at a medium-fast speed as she rolled down the empty town road. Anyone who saw her driving underneath the streetlights would have a glimpse of her bright pink moped, its bumper covered in multiple bunny emblem stickers. She could see the building in the distance, and lowered her speed so she could safely pull into the curb. A woman with silver hair tied into a neat braid and pulled over a shoulder was standing outside the gated door, fumbling with a set of keys. The older woman had heard the moped’s motor running before it was cut off, and turned around to notice Hana hopping off of it. “Oh! Good to see you again,” the elder woman said with a smile. “I’m glad you’re here bright and early. Are you ready for your first day?” she asked. 

 

Hana removed her helmet and grinned. “Absolutely, Ms. Amari! I can’t wait to get started.”

 

The other woman laughed. “You’re hired now, there’s no need for that. You can call me Ana from now on.”

 

The young adult grabbed her belongings and walked up alongside her new boss as she finally open the door to the diner. Ana let Hana enter first, and turned on all the lights as she walked behind her. Hana headed for the back of the diner and into a small locker room, placing her coat and other belongings into her assigned cubby. Before she placed her lock, she pulled a small white apron from her purse and tied it around her waist. 

 

Day one of being a waitress.

 

\---

 

“Before you start your first day with us, I’d like to introduce you to our little family here,” Ana said cheerfully. She gestured towards her employees sitting by the bar area, and they all waved at her. The blonde woman was the first to approach Hana. “Welcome, my dear! My name is Angela,” she said warmly. “What brings you here to our little town?”

 

“Oh I’m uh, I’m going to the university nearby!” Hana replied. “Though I usually take classes in the afternoon and evening, so I decided to find a job to keep myself busy.”

 

Angela nodded. “Wonderful to hear. I’m a student myself! But I’ll tell you all about that later.” 

 

The other waitress, a serious looking woman with long black hair and white prosthetic arm, stood up from the barstool she was perched and walked over to shake Hana’s hand. “Hello,” she began. “My name is Satya. I will be the one training you.”

 

“Oh, neat! Can’t wait for you to show me the ropes around here,” Hana said happily. Satya acknowledged her with a nod and a small smile, then made her way back to her seat. 

 

The next person was a lot shorter than Hana, and he let out a warm and boisterous laugh as he placed a prosthetic hand into hers. “Hello lass! The name’s Torbjörn. I’m the fixer upper around here.”

 

Hana greeted him back and turned her attention to the last fellow who had yet to be introduced. He was a very tall and heavyset man, with messy gray hair tied into a small ponytail and swirling tattoos along his chin. His lack of a response and blank expression made her feel a bit put off. Hana wasn’t afraid of people who were twice her size, but his peculiar silence made her wonder if he didn’t like her.

 

Ana walked up behind Hana and cleared her throat. “The big one is our cook Mako,” she stated. “In case you’re wondering, it’s not you. He just doesn’t speak much. You’ll come to understand soon enough.”

 

Hana let out a small sigh at the reassurance. Looking back at her new co-workers, she felt giddy. They all seemed like a wonderful bunch; folks of different walks of life working together. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed Satya approach her.

 

“I will show you the basics before we open,” she told the shorter woman. “You will be waiting on our usual customers first so that your first day will run more smoothly.” Her tone unchanging, Satya leaned in closer. “But know this: I am not one to go easy on trainees. This is like any other career where I expect you to take your work  _ very _ seriously.”

 

Hana nodded slowly. Angela let out a small giggle from behind. “Don’t sweat it Hana; Satya isn’t actually that scary. I’m sure you’ll do fine.” Torbjörn snorted and hobbled across the room. “I hope so! The last few girls Satya trained, she sent them all home in tears.”

 

Ana shrugged. “She knew they weren’t taking their jobs seriously. I have no problem with her methods. One of those girls even tried to steal from the register.”

 

Hana turned to her in disbelief. “Who tries to rob a  _ diner _ ?” 

 

The older woman laughed. “You would be surprised, my dear.”

 

Torbjörn and Mako made their way into the back, and before they past through the swinging doors she caught a bit of conversation. “Hey, betcha the new girl’s gonna wait on your #1 fan, yeah?” Torbjörn laughed. Mako replied with an annoyed growl as he grabbed a dirty apron. 

 

His #1 fan?

 

Ana patted Hana on the shoulder. “Well, I’ll be heading into my office. Satya will be sure to inform you of our regulars while she trains you. But don’t be nervous! If anything happens I will be out here right away.”

  
She gave Hana a thumbs up as she walked away. Satya came back into view, carrying a tub full of silverware. “Come along, we are to set the tables.”


	2. Band-Aid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana meets the family heirloom and the first regular customer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two already!! Trust me when I say we're both really psyched about this story. 
> 
> Also, me and Sassy are taking turns writing chapters, so this one is courtesy of them!

The diner itself was a fairly nice sized little corner of the world. There was the counter where orders were placed and paid for, behind them was the wall that housed the specials, posters advertising local food that was made and served here, as well as one little sign alerting customers to this being a no smoke zone and anyone caught smoking would be removed from the premises. Above these posters was of course a wall clock alerting you to the time of date, but sitting alongside the clock on the wall was a large photograph.

 

Depicted in the photo was a woman with strong, yet equally soft, features. Her eyes were dark brown and her hair black as night and just by looking at her you could see the resemblance with Ana. For now her name was unknown to Hana, who had to take a second to look at the woman with her strong willed eyes. 

 

Below her visage was a large window that orders, once made by Mako, would be placed. He would ring a bell, alerting the wait staff to the order being ready and to pick it up and deliver it. Peeking through she could see the back kitchen and it was quite possibly the cleanest kitchen Hana had ever seen. There was not a hint of grime, the sink was clean of dishes, it was immaculate and in the middle of it was Mako. His towering form seemed out of place, yet equally in place as he was heating up the grill, clear gloves somehow stretched over his massive hands, and a surprisingly frilly apron that clashed with his rather intimidating form.

 

His eyes shifted, as if he could feel her watching him, and caught sight of Hana who squeaked and immediately hurried away. Satya was waiting.

 

“Do not dawdle, it’s unseemly.” she said stiffly, “A waitress’ role is to be punctual and precise. We do not waste our customer’s time, we do not keep them waiting longer than it is necessary. They come to our diner because we are known to be reliable with friendly staff and good food, after all. Otherwise they would not return as often as they do. Even the less than savoury people.” her perfectly framed features narrowed, eyes hardening as if recalling a particularly nasty, if not disgusting, person before she blinked it away.

 

“You get some colorful characters huh?” Hana asked, offering a smile to the woman who had barely offered up one since their initial greeting. Maybe Satya had a quota of smiles she could disperse a day, and she had already spent her early morning lot.

 

“Putting it mildly.” Satya replied before gesturing to the empty tables and stalls, yet to be dressed for the day. “Regardless our early morning customers will be arriving soon. We will be ready for them by having all of our tables set up. Each table has a napkin dispenser, salt and pepper shaker, sugar and sweetener packets, as well as a knife, fork, and spoon awaiting them on pre folded napkins. I shall instruct you on how we fold the napkins here. This shall the first thing you do in the mornings, do not worry. It is simple.”

 

It was not as simple as Hana was led to believe. Satya was, to put it for the lack of a better word, anal. She insisted that the setup of the condiments upon the table had to be in a precise layout. That the salt and pepper shakers had to be full and to a precise level, matching one another. That the napkins had to have a certain number loaded into the dispensers. That the sugar packets had to be all facing the right way, barcodes hidden, names on display all because the barcodes were unsightly and were a distraction.

 

And the intricate nature of the napkin folding was like high level origami... and Hana had never been good at origami. Her frustration must have been clear on her face since Angela, moving to the front of the store to open the door and carry out the placard that would sit on the street outside tutted.

 

“Go easy on her, Satya. Please? Not all of us are as gifted with napkins as you are.” Angela asked, holding the door open with her foot as she grabbed the folded placard.

 

“Better she learn fast than later.” Satya replied curtly. “There is a strict order and the order shall be respected. Without order, there would be nothing but chaos and chaos has no place in this diner.”

 

“Ooh! Chaos! Sounds delicious!”

 

The new voice caught Hana off guard, as she’d been attempted for the fourth time to fold the napkin as per instructions. She lifted her gaze to see a small, petite woman standing in the doorway. Her eyes were bright and alert, face freckled, hair cut into what she can only guess was a pixie cut on account of most of it was hidden beneath a hat. Not just any hat; a police officer’s hat.

 

“Chaos sounds pretty good, right about now!” the woman smiled the kind of smile that would be found on a dentist's advert. Her teeth were perfect. 

 

“Lena--sorry, Officer Oxton.” Angela laughed as she pushed the doors open fully, locking them open, and flipping the ‘closed’ sign to ‘open’. “Good morning!”

 

“Mornin’ luv!” Officer Oxton had the thickest British accent Hana had ever heard. She sounded like she’d stepped off of the set of Oliver. “Hiya, big guy!” she waved, presumably towards Mako who was silently shuffling his way through the kitchen. Her answer was a dismissive grunt. That’s when she spotted Hana, and her brown eyes widened with curiosity. “Ooh! A new girl!”

 

“Hey,” Hana offered her warmest smile. She’d never seen this cop before, and you’d most likely remember since Officer Oxton did not match what you’d expect when you imagined a police officer. Not intimidating, tall, strong looking, and most of all not male. Of course there were female officers, it was the present after all, but you rarely saw such petite ones. 

 

“Officer Oxton is one of our regulars.” Satya explained as Angela had shifted behind the counter, starting up the coffee machine. “She is normally one of our first customers of the day and regularly shows up throughout the day.”

 

“She’s also standing right here!” Officer Oxton pointed out teasingly, offering Satya a playful smile when the woman gave her a slighting warning look. She turned her attention back to Hana. “You got a name luv?”

 

“Sure do, it’s Hana. Hana Song.” Hana liked this officer a lot more than those she’d encountered in life. Course, those other ones were the intimidating angry looking cops who walked the streets, hands on their holsters, as if daring someone to cause trouble. The holster on Officer Oxton’s hip looked huge in comparison to the rest of her. Could she even lift it?

 

“Nice to meet’cha, Hana!” Officer Oxton smiled again, “And welcome to the job.”

 

Angela reappeared with a takeaway cup of what Hana can only guess was coffee and a small brown bag with something stashed away in it. Officer Oxton took both of them, handing Angela the exact change, this is most likely what the good cop ordered each morning so it was more or less routine to have it ready and waiting for her. With that the small cop gave everyone a wave and a wink, and before Hana could blink she was gone and out the door. 

 

“Confound machine,” the grumbling of Torbjörn coming from the corner caught Hana’s attention, not ten minutes later after the first customer of the day had come and gone in a whirlwind of British accents and police uniforms. 

 

Just how she had not noticed him, nor the machine he was currently crouched in front of, was a mystery. He was working on a Jukebox, and the device looked like it was older than everyone in the diner combined. It was a relic of a forgotten time, one of greased hair, poodle designs on dresses, and when you’d be told to ‘sit on it’ by some mook wearing a leather jacket. The monstrosity was decorated with, of all things, song birds. Those small birds carved into the wood and vinyl wore little pompadours and beehives, dancing to tunes only they could hear. Once upon a time they would have been considered very well dressed, or something like it. Behind the clear plastic atop it, hidden from the world, were a collection of records. Upon approaching both the machine, and Torbjörn, Hana realized just how old some of these songs were.

 

She didn’t know any of them.

 

Uttering a swear that she couldn’t understand, Torbjörn got up and shut the compartment door he’d had open to tinker on the inner mechanisms of the machine. “Piece of scrap that’s what it is,” he was muttering before he realized Hana was there and jolted a bit. “Don’t creep up on me like that girl, you want me to have a heart attack?”

 

“Sorry!” Hana smiled meekly, before looking back to the machine. “Is it busted?”

 

“Is it busted? More like when isn’t it busted?” Torbjörn asked with a grumpy huff, offering the machine a soft kick. “Bastion here hasn’t worked right since the 80’s.”

 

The fact it had a name was cute, but then she saw the brand’s name was simply ‘Bastion’ and it was right there on the front of the old Jukebox. “Why not ditch it and get a new one?” she asked, as she quickly set about trying to fold a napkin since Satya had cast her a wary glance from across the diner.

 

“Ditch Bastion?” Torbjörn looked as if she’d told him to abandon one of his eight children to the streets. “We can’t do that, Bastion’s been here forever. Besides, he’s bolted in place. Moving him would mean knocking down a whole wall and ripping up some of the floor.”

 

“Yikes.” 

 

“Bastion wasn’t built to be moved. Probably be here still when we’re all dead and buried, knowing this hunk of junk.” Torbjörn referred to the machine with surprising affection despite the lack of appreciation in his choice of words. “But, if my name isn’t Torbjörn I’m gonna get this machine working again one day. This place’ll have music again, you can bet on that.”

 

It was at this point Bastion made a few beeping noises, as if it was doing its best to maybe even play a song but it spluttered into silence after a soft and tiny ‘bwoop’ sound left it. Hana almost found herself feeling sorry for the piece of machinery before there was sounds of more movement behind her at the door. She heard Torbjörn whisper a ‘Hoo boy’ as she turned and caught sight of the newest customer.

 

He was by far the oddest looking man Hana had ever seen, and she was a young woman who was studying at the local school. She saw all types there. But this one, where did she begin? With his prosthetic arm and leg (was that a peg leg yes it was)? With the mix matched clothes that looked like they’d been either slept in, or tossed in a dryer for no more than a few minutes? Or his hair, that was technically a mohawk but he had two large tufts of hair sticking out atop each ear, making him look like a slightly off kilter cockatoo? His eyes were unfocused, one clearly lazy, and his mouth stuck in a seemingly permanent grin as he stood there, shaking slightly for reasons unknown to Hana.

 

“Jamison!” Angela greeted him like an old friend as the young man, at least Hana thought he was a young man it was pretty impossible to gauge his age from the look of him. He greeted her back with an enthusiastic wave of his good flesh hand, which was stained with something black and nasty looking. “How are you this morning?” she asked as he made a bee-line for the counter as quick as his peg leg could carry him, and positioned himself right in front of the window that showed through to the kitchen and, by extension, Mako.

 

“Doin’ alright Angie, doin’ alright woke up didn’t I?” his accent was as thick as the grime on his spotted skin. “N ‘ow are you?” 

 

“No complaints. We have a new girl,” Angela leaned in to whisper this to him as she moved behind the counter.

 

He hadn’t noticed her. Most likely since his eyes, despite having been talking to Angela, had been focused on the kitchen this entire time. Jamison turned his head jerkily, as if he didn’t have entire control of his body, or more like he was learning how to operate it despite having been living in it his entire life. His eyes locked on her and he smiled toothily, tilting his head to the side as he leaned on the counter.

 

“G’day sheila!” he greeted her in some weird foreign slang language, his free hand (the prosthetic one) clicking at her. “Welcome ta Fareeha’s! Tho bet lotsa folk have told you that lot huh?”

 

“A few.” she replied politely, keeping her distance though she knew she shouldn’t be rude. This was a customer. And hadn’t Satya told her she would be managing the usual crew? Jamison appeared to be a regular, like Officer Oxton, and if he was she would have to accustomed to this burnt looking man with the gnarly old prosthetics. “Ah,” Hana moved closer, still smiling in her most polite and customer friendly way. “Can I take your order?”

 

“Nah she’ll be right, ole’ Hoggy knows what I love don’t ya big guy?” Jamison turned his head, looking through to the kitchen. Mako, having been working silently this entire time, offered up a small grunt of acknowledgement. He, in turn, giggled like a schoolgirl before resting his chin in both hands, linking his fingers as he did. 

 

Hana didn’t know that people could look so absolutely love sick in real life. She’d chalked that up for stuff in cartoons, or animes, but this guy was so painfully smitten she felt like she was intruding on something by standing by him. That, or the smell of oil and other assorted grime coming off of him. Satya voiced her disapproval as she set down the last intricately folded napkin by making the same kind of noise one makes when you’ve stepped in something especially nasty.

 

Clearly, Jamison was one of the types she didn’t want in the diner at all. Hana had the strong sense that if she could, Satya would remove the newest customer post haste without warning and then burn the stool in which he’d sat himself on. She had no idea how right she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note: this AU takes place in modern time aka our current time period, so Torbjörn and Satya had standard prosthetics. Jamison, on the other hand, has a standard arm prosthetic but still has a peg leg to emphasis the fact that he.......enjoys standing out.
> 
> And I'm sure some of you are curious about the choice of name for the diner! You'll have to be patient about the reason behind that one.
> 
> Chapter 3 has more goodies so stay tuned! Some more friendly faces in Hana's future.


	3. Recall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana's first day as a waitress ends on a positive note.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You guys sure are updating pretty quickly," you say before you read.
> 
> "I know," I respond through my tears.

The rest of the morning went along decent, although Hana began to feel a bit worn out. She already had her first rude customer, a woman with a thick French accent berating her for “taking her sweet time” delivering her special order coffee (normally Hana would be the one to fulfill drink orders but for this particular regular Satya said she would prepare the drink because the woman was quite picky). Satya said Mrs. Lacroix was like that to everyone. Angela said she’s been that way since her husband died. Hana accepted it.

 

The next regular after that was an older gentleman who wore red sunglasses and a hard frown, clearly disinterested that this waitress was a new face. As Hana walked away with what she could make of his order, Angela appeared beside her behind the counter. “That one is Jack, by the way. He’s a bit of a sour grape, I’m sure you’ve noticed.” 

 

“What’s his deal, anyhow?” Hana asked as she hung the order receipt. Angela shook her head and went back to wiping the counter. “Jack is actually an old friend of Ana’s. Believe it or not, these are times he’s in a better mood. If Gabe was around, we’d have our hands full.”

 

“Gabe?”

 

“Another old friend. Gabe and Jack used to be the best of friends, but one day they had a terrible argument that tore their friendship apart. Now whenever they make eye contact, they start a fight.” Angela’s hand holding the cleaning rag paused as she sighed. “Ana makes them visit the diner on different days so they don’t disturb the rest of the customers.”

 

Hana’s expression went from slightly annoyed to a little concerned. “Geez, that must be hard on Ana.”

 

A soft  _ ding  _ from the kitchen window’s bell went off, and Hana made her way over to pick up the order of food. “Not all of Ana’s old friends are this depressing!” Angela said as Hana made her way to a table. 

 

_ There’s more? _ Hana thought to herself as the front door burst open. As soon as Hana placed the food down to its respective guest, Hana turned her attention to the figure walking towards the counter. It was another elder gentleman, but this one was  _ very _ tall and  _ very _ muscular. He was so big, his mailman uniform looked incredibly out of place against his large frame. “Good morning my dear!” the man bellowed with a voice so powerful and yet so charming. “I have today’s letters for that lovely superior of yours.”

 

Angela looked up to the towering mailman with a bright smile. “Oh hello, Reinhardt! How are you this fine morning?” she asked as he handed her the mail.

 

“Absolutely wonderful! Not a cloud in the sky! I feel like I could run 20 miles!”

 

The blonde waitress laughed. “I’m still surprised you could manage all that physical activity, for a man your age.”

 

“Ah, but age is only a number, Angela. I can do whatever I please if I set my mind to it.”

 

Reinhardt let Angela return to work, and looked around the diner. He eventually turned his attention to Hana, who was staring at him in complete bewilderment. “Oh, and who might you be!” he asked as he placed his broad hands onto his hips. 

 

Hana blinked, and shook her head to regain her composure. “Ah, s-sorry, you’re just so huge and- and I just never seen a mailman look like you before.”

 

Reinhardt threw his head back into a hearty laugh. “Had to find something simpler to do after I came back from the service! But it’s all worth it because I get to see my friends.” Reinhardt turned to where Jack was sulking in the corner and boasted a loud greeting. The other man faced him and jerked his head upwards in acknowledgement. Reinhardt maneuvered back to Hana and clasped his hands together. “Forgive me, but I don’t believe I caught your name.”

 

“Oh! Sorry about that. I’m Hana Song. I just started working here as a waitress.”

 

“Wonderful! Ah, I think I’ve distracted you from your work long enough. Do your very best!” Reinhardt said cheerfully.

 

Hana nodded with a big smile and made her way over to where Satya was to ask her if any more regulars had walked in. Satya said no, so she resumed onto the task the taller woman had given her in case she wasn’t waiting on customers. While she swept the floor, Hana peered at where Reinhardt had gone and noticed Ana had come out of her office. She couldn’t make out anything they were saying, but Ana’s expression looked...dreamy. Kinda like the look Jamison had on whenever he caught sight of Mako through the kitchen window, but different. Like something you see in romance movies when two people who used to be in love some time ago find one another again, and realize they still feel something for one another.

 

Just  _ how _ well do those two know each other?

 

Another soft  _ ding _ broke Hana out of her thoughts. Jack’s food was ready, and she had to get back into gear. Business in the diner began to pick up, and soon they had a near full house. While Hana brought Jack’s food to his table, Angela was zipping back and forth around her, flying from table to table. After Jack muttered an emotionless “thanks”, Hana looked back up and watched Angela greet customers and take orders at an efficient pace. She hoped to be that good soon enough.

 

“Hana!” Satya shouted from the counter. “We’ll handle the rest, you stay by the counter.”

 

As Hana joined the other waitress, Satya gestured to a man sitting at the counter, the rim of his hat covering the top of his face. “The last customer of your shift will be Jesse. He delivers us produce from the local farm and likes to have a meal right when the delivery is complete.” Satya’s nose then scrunched up and she grimaced. “Every now and then you must remind him of our strict no-smoking policy.”

 

Satya spun on her heels and stepped away, and Hana approached the mysterious farm hand. Another person with a prosthetic arm, but this time it was made of a bright metal. His arms were crossed on top of the counter, waiting patiently. Hana took note of his red flannel shirt, slightly unbuttoned at the top to reveal a tanned and hairy chest covered in sweat. The waitress unfortunately then caught a rather unpleasant smell of barn animals and cigar smoke as she paused in front of Jesse, pulling out her notepad and pen. 

 

“Hi there! I’m Hana and I’ll be taking care of you. What’ll you be having today?”

 

Jesse tilted his head upwards, and greeted the young woman with a smirk. “Mornin’, little lady. Don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

 

“Today’s my first day, actually!” Hana replied. 

 

The man chuckled. “Ain’t that right? Well good on you, then. Ana’s the real deal; you’re lucky to be here.”

 

_ Hmm, guess he’s another one of Ana’s friends. _

 

“Gimme the Old Timer. I’ll take a hot cuppa Joe right along with it.”

 

“Coming up!”

 

\---

 

Angela waved as Hana said her goodbyes and headed for the door. “You did great on your first day. See you tomorrow morning!” 

 

Well, that was a relief. Hana was glad to have left a good first impression. As she placed her belongings in the small compartment on the back of her moped, her mind wandered to some of the different characters she met today. 

 

_ Officer Lena Oxton...usually the first customer of the day. Seems to be always on the move. Unusually petite for a police officer, but very kind. Angela mentioned that she was married, does her spouse ever come around? _

 

_ Jamison Fawkes...Mako’s “#1 Fan”, Torbjörn had joked. Wonder why he also calls him “Hoggy”. Is he making fun of his size? No, that wouldn't make sense cuz he seems really into the guy. But isn't Mako a bit old for Jamison? Eh, guess he’s into older men. Satya doesn't like him very much, most likely has to do with his smell. And his disheveled appearance. And….just him in general. He hasn’t been rude at all on purpose, but he is a bit of a weirdo. A peg leg? Seriously? _

 

Hana placed her helmet onto her head and revved her moped to life. Her mind continued to reel as she made her way down the road.

 

_ Never seen a mailman like Reinhardt before. He’s  _ massive _. But he’s also really sweet. He said he was a war veteran. What's his connection to Ana? Jesse seemed to be really fond of her, too. But Jesse looked a lot younger so he must not have met her the same time Reinhardt and Jack did. _

 

Her moped came to a halt as she reached her dormitory building. Once she was neatly parked, she pulled off her helmet, grabbed her things and made her way inside. When she reached the large glass doors, however, she heard a faint yet familiar electronic beat in the distance. Hana moved away from the doors and followed the sound, walking around the building and spotting a man with dreadlocks placing flyers onto a lamp post. The flyers were brightly colored and bursting with excited text, advertising some sort of nightclub. Curious, Hana approached the man as he obliviously bobbed his head to his music.

 

“Excuse me, um…”

 

The man jumped and whirled around, large dreadlocks swinging with his body. Hana finally found the source of his music on the front of his belt; a small Bluetooth stereo connected to one of the loops on his pants. The man had a surprised look on his face as he clutched the flyers to his chest.

 

“Uh….hi! Don't mind me. Just tryna get the word out,” he said. He handed Hana a flyer with a cute smile. “I’m hosting a live music event this weekend at the local club, you should come and check it out! You are 18, right?”

 

“19, actually,” Hana replied as she took the flyer. She looked down and read the blaring, colorful text. Suddenly, her eyes went wide.

 

“Wait a sec. You’re Lúcio? THE Lúcio Correia Dos Santos?!”

 

Lúcio was shocked. “Oh hey, you heard of me? he asked giddily.

 

“Oh my god, yeah! I downloaded ALL your music from Bandcamp. You’re a really good DJ! I didn't know you were from around here!” Hana stuffed the flyer into her purse. “I’m TOTALLY gonna come to this event. I can't wait!”

 

Lúcio rubbed the back of his head with a blush. “Aw man, that's real good to hear. Be sure to tell your friends! What’s your name, by the way?”

 

“I’m Hana! Hana Song. I go to school around here. I just got a job at the diner down the road, and-”

 

Lúcio interrupted. “Whoa, sorry, did you say your name was Hana?”

 

“Um...yeah!”

 

“You’re not the same Hana that does Let’s Plays under the name D.Va, are you?”

 

Hana gasped. “You  _ watch my live streams _ ?” she squealed, hands covering each side of her face. “I have, like, 5 viewers on my good days! I can't believe you’re one of them!”

 

“Yeah, you're really good! And you tell the funniest stories. My friends and I haven't missed a single stream,” Lúcio commented. “Hey, is it cool if we exchange numbers?”

 

“Um, yes!!”

 

They handed each other their cell phones, Lúcio tapping his number into Hana’s slim pink phone as she inserted her information into his bulky dark blue one. When he handed her phone back, Hana looked at the screen and quickly glanced at the time.

 

“Oh, shit, I’m gonna be late for class!” Hana shrieked. “I’m so psyched I bumped into you, I’ll text you later!” 

 

Hana and Lúcio quickly waved as she ran back to her apartment. She sprinted inside the building, ran up the stairs and made her way into her single room dorm. 

 

Once she changed out of her uniform and grabbed her textbooks, she ran out the door while still thinking about her chance encounter with Lúcio.

  
Hana decided that she was really gonna like it here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, you've seen enough of the diner environment. Next chapter, you'll learn about Hana's studies and more about what she does in her free time! That nightclub event sounds fun...


	4. Different Strokes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana is late for class, but it's not all bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More familiar faces! More of Hana's fierce personality! More cowbell!

The squeak of Hana’s sneakers against the polished floors of the hallway echoed her, every step like a ticking of a clock to remind her that she was indeed late. She’d been told by other students, older ones, that tardiness wasn’t such a big issue in college but they clearly didn’t have Mr. Shimada as their teacher. 

 

He ruled his classroom with an iron fist, and only gave respect to those who deserved, or worse, earned it. An older man with a widow’s peak, strong sideburns, and his thick Japanese accent was an allure to many a female student even if he rarely gave them the time of day.

 

By the time she opened the door to his lecture hall, the white board was covered in intricate looking math problems. And there, standing in front of said white board was Mr. Shimada, marker in hand, back to the class as he’d been just finishing the piece of punishment in the form of equations. His head turned and his gaze fixed on Hana, before he glanced to the clock.

 

Two minutes late. To most teachers, they wouldn’t bat an eyelid. To Mr. Shimada it was as if she’d slapped his mother in the face with a rotten fish.

 

“To your seat, Ms. Song.” he said; no need to point out that she was wrong since it was clearly evident.

 

“Right. Sorry...!” Hana apologized regardless, since she would rather get through this class, this whole course, with as little punishment as possible. She made her way to a seat, any seat, and she could hear a few snorts of bemusement from her fellow classmates. 

 

“That’s enough.” Mr. Shimada scolded the collective, “We are not in grade school anymore. You are all adults and I expect you all to act like it.” he turned to face the class now, rolling down the sleeves he’d hiked up so he could write on the board without threat of staining his blue long sleeved collared shirt with marker stains. 

 

This meant all got a good look at the long dragon tattoo that snaked down his left arm. But now it was put away, hidden behind his sleeve, and attention moved from his tattoo to that of the whiteboard. 

 

What followed was an hour of mathematics, Hana doing her best to absorb it all like a sponge after a long morning at work, and still riding the high off of running into Lúcio of all people. She couldn’t wait to get to her dorm room and get on her laptop to talk with her friends about it. They’d be so jealous, she got his number and everything! 

 

Her high got her through the rest of Mr. Shimada’s Hour of Power and Punishment and he announced what had to be done in preparation for the next session. Students gathered their things, talking among one another as they filed out of the lecture hall. Hana stuffed her things away into her backpack and thankfully made it out without being waved down by the man in charge.

 

She didn’t have to run, there was 15 minutes between this and her next class so she could rest her body, mind and soul on the grass for a moment. Hana got herself a nice comfy spot under a tree and was just getting her phone out to check on cyberspace when she heard something coming from around the nearest corner to her.

 

It sounded like a scuffle. A fight? On campus? Phone momentarily forgotten the young woman got to her feet and hurried over. Humans, no matter how old they were, couldn’t deny the sounds of a fight. Either you were drawn to watch, or drawn to try and stop it. Or partake in it! The options were limited and Hana didn’t know what she was going to do until she rounded the corner to see just what was happening.

 

A short, tan brown, bald man was being jostled. Besides him was a bucket and some rags sticking out of the foamy water. Behind him on the wall, some graffiti that was in the middle of being removed. Towering over the short man however were two older students Hana didn’t know the names of. One had him partly pinned to the wall with an arm to his neck, the other heckling in a drunken fashion.

 

“Hey!! Lay off!” Hana stormed forward, phone up, immediately on record. “Get outta here before I call campus police, I’ve got your faces!” she shouted, loudly.

 

The two weighed their options. Either mess up a girl, or have her call the bluff. The one pinning the young man scoffed and let him go but shoved him one last time, laughing as he stumbled over his bucket and sending his water out over the pavement and grass. The two took off like they were a quarter their age, and Hana growled after them as she pocketed her phone and bent down immediately by the young man.

 

“Are you okay? I can’t believe those jerks, who do they think they are?” she asked as she took his arm to help him up. 

 

His cheek was bruised, his clothes a little rumpled, but beyond that he seemed fine.

 

“You have my thanks,” he said in a surprisingly soft, gentle tone despite how ruffled he might feel. “Peace and blessings to you for aiding me, for you had no purpose or need to.”

 

“They were being a bunch of dicks I had to do something.” Hana replied, before looking down at his upturned bucket. “Are you a janitor?” she asked, since he didn’t look like one. He wasn’t wearing the coveralls, nor did he have a name tag. His clothing was loose fitting and flowy, it made her think of a buddhist or something like it.

 

“No, no.” he said as he knelt to right the bucket. “I merely aid our community to keep it respectful and beautiful. This poor building did not deserve to be desecrated by such crude writings, so I was cleaning it on its behalf.”

 

Hana eyed the graffiti. It had been there for ages, she knew that much. So long the janitors of the campus had never bothered to clean it.

 

“So why were those jerks picking on you?” Hana asked, curious now.

 

“You may as well ask why does the bird fly, or the water flow. Some things are just the way they are because they choose that path.” he replied.

 

Hana blinked a few times, before holding her hand out. “I’m Hana, nice to meet you though the circumstances suck.”

 

He had a soft laugh, shoulders giving a small shake before he bowed his head to her, but then took her hand for it was offered. “I am Zenyatta. A pleasure to meet you, Hana.” he let go of her hand, before observing her for a moment. “You were not born in our humble town were you?”

 

“No,” she answered honestly. “I just moved here a little while ago. Um. Why?”

 

“If you were from here, you would know the reason why they were harassing me the way they were.” Zenyatta said as he carried his bucket to the nearest tap, kneeling down to fill it with fresh water. “I am a part of the Iris Circle. Many of the town write us off as cultists. So, my brothers and sisters as well as myself sometimes come under scrutiny of those who look down upon us.”

 

Iris? Hana had never heard of them. Then again she didn’t really roam the town at large, nor had she the time to not with her studies, gaming, and now a job. He stuck out though, were they all bald? Did they all wear that clothing? And cultists? That seemed extreme, this guy was so polite. Unless he had like, ten wives stashed away somewhere.

 

“So you guys just... go around doing, what, cleaning graffiti?” she asked, curious.

 

“We do many things to help our community.” Zenyatta explained, “Cleaning graffiti is one of them. Another is aiding in support for those in need, the less fortunate among us. For all things within the Iris are blessed with souls, even those the rest of humanity may not look upon as having one. We see it as our right to treat everything, everyone, with respect.”

 

Hana was about to ask something else before she remembered that she had a place to be, an important place nonetheless. She jerked herself back, as if wrenching herself from this odd young man’s explanations. His voice was almost hypnotic, in a way. “Oh! Well, sorry but I gotta go. I’ve got classes, I’m glad you’re okay though! If those jerks give you grief again I still have that stuff recorded, kay?”

 

Zenyatta smiled a small, polite smile and nodded his head. He waved, even giving her a peace sign as she returned it and took off to her next class. If she was late for this one, well there wouldn’t be the repercussions like with Mr. Shimada but still she didn’t want to disappoint the instructor. At least she had a good reason this time as to why she was late, she just stopped some peace spreading monk-like guy from being beaten up!

 

Mei-Ling Zhou was one of those professors you could get along with fairly easily. She was a chubby woman, in her late thirties, and clearly loved what she did. Her classes very rarely were held inside, because at the start of almost every class she would explain to cut down their expulsions of greenhouse gases they would be moving to have the lecture outside, instead of wasting electricity on the indoor lights.

 

So basically every class was one you had outside, either by the light of the sun that was slowly going down or lit by the street lights. Most students knew by now to bring their laptops fully charged, to allow them to light their note taking instead of desperately trying to write on notepads. Hana had assumed this would be the situation, and she’d been right, there was Mei with a cluster of students out by the football stand where lights lit up the evening practice runs.

 

“Sorry I’m late!” Hana huffed as she hurried up to the group. “It’s becoming a bit of a habit today!” she joked, though nobody here would get it since she was the only one here who took both Mr. Shimada, and Mei’s, lessons.

 

“No problems, no problems,” Mei smiled, gesturing to the grass. “More than enough room for you!”

 

She was also one of those instructors who allowed you to call her by her first name, unlike Mr. Shimada who must have been born with a stick up his ass. 

 

“Alright, we are all here.” Mei said as she moved to find herself a comfortable patch of grass, setting her large book bag down and pulled the thickest tome imaginable from the tiny confines.

 

Environmental studies weren’t the most popular or exciting classes to take, but Hana being undeclared meant that she had to sit through a lot of basic classes. This wasn’t so much of an issue of course, not when a lot of her teachers were cool like Mei. Not every single one was like Mr. Shimada, thankfully. Otherwise going to college here would have been far more of a hassle than she’d want to deal with.

 

The teachers were what made a class bearable, after all. If you had a bad teacher, the class dragged, the homework would feel like a mountain, or worse an avalanche that you had to dig yourself out of.

 

The class on the grass went much smoother than her previous one, and before Hana was aware the class was over. Her school mates already making small talk as most chose to just chill on the grass for a while longer as Mei took down some notes onto her phone. 

 

“So what happened to make you a little bit late Hana?” Mei asked, clearly curious and not furious like one might expect.

 

“Oh no big reason,” Hana said with a small shrug of her shoulders as she played with her own phone. “Just doing my part and keeping some thugs off of someone.”

 

Mei frowned a little. “Bullying?” she asked. While she was clearly passionate about her subject matter, Mei had a fairly strict code when it came to bullying. She just would not let it stand.

 

“Yeah. Some guy--Zen.... Zenny...” shoot his name was too unique now she couldn’t remember it. And after a day of memorizing orders and writing down food specials, combined with two lessons, Hana’s brain was slowly winding down.

 

“Zenyatta?” Mei offered.

 

“That’s him!” Hana was grateful her teacher could remember his name. 

 

“Oh dear,” she shook her head as she placed her phone into her bag. “He’s always been hassled, but he never wants to do anything about it. I think it is his non-violence stance, but he doesn’t have to be violent to fight bullies!” Mei sighed heavily. “He is too good, and bullies walk all over that.”

 

“Yeah he wasn’t fighting back at all when I found him.” she was really weighing the options of just turning in the footage to show the faculty who those jerks were. Someone like Zenyatta didn’t deserve to be harassed for trying to do good by his ‘lovely community’ even if some members of said community weren’t lovely at all. Hana had to yawn, covering her mouth. “Mm! Sorry, I should be going. Work’s taken more of a drain on me than I thought!”

 

“You have work?” Mei smiled, “That’s wonderful! I hope it is not too far?”

 

“Nah,” Hana got to her feet and slung her bag over her shoulder. “Little place called Fareeha’s, I’m a waitress there and still learning the ropes.”

 

Mei’s expression paused, and a look of realization crossed her features. Did she know of the place? Or was the name just familiar to someone who’d been here as long as she had? Regardless the chubby woman got to her feet. “Well I wish you good luck at your new job, I hope you don’t deal with too many mean customers.”

  
“I can manage.” she had to grin proudly. If she could go and face off against two bullies without a second thought, rude customers would be the least of her worries. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, Zenyatta's a human in this one. Like I said, every hero plays a part in this fic whether their role is big or small. 
> 
> Sassy and I are really steamrollin through this story, and excited to tell it!! And thank you so much for the really sweet comments we've gotten so far, they make us seriously happy and motivated.


	5. Guardian Angels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finding help in the most unexpected places.

Through the darkness, Hana sped down the road towards the diner. She was excited to begin Day 2 of her waitress job, and wondered what other types of people were regulars. 

 

She also thought of what kind of mundane tasks Satya would make her do. She laughed.

 

Her moped had suddenly begun to make noise along with her, though they were noises Hana wasn't expecting to hear. The motor was sputtering, and the moped was slowly coming to a halt.

 

“Oh no, oh no oh no oh no oh NO!”

 

Hana hopped off her pink moped and put the kickstand down, muttering “not now” repeatedly under her breath. Having her moped die on the side of the dark street was the last thing she wanted. She was still ways from the diner, and no buildings nearby were open. Hana let out a frustrated puff of air.

 

Not a good second impression.

 

_ Lemme call Ana then _ , she said to herself.  _ Ana is really nice so hopefully she’ll be understanding _ .

 

Hana had pulled out her cell phone and was just about to click on Ana’s number when she heard footsteps from the distance. Tense, Hana put her phone away and instead gripped her apartment keys. The campus didn't allow weapons, but her father taught her that just about anything can be turned into one.

 

The footsteps were closer now; whoever they belonged to were sprinting towards Hana. She slipped her keys between her knuckles.

 

A large, shadowy form was soon visible. It grew as it approached. Taller, wider, louder…

 

“You there!”

 

Hana felt as if time had stopped.

 

“Is you who was yelling just now?”

 

Hana squinted at the figure that was now walking closer to her, still gripping at the keys in her pocket. Soon, a muscular woman with short pink hair and a headphone in one ear came into view. The taller woman wore a look of curiosity and slight concern. Assessing from the woman’s athletic attire, Hana deduced that she had been on some early morning jog.

 

“I, uh...my moped stopped working…” Hana mustered out. “I can't just leave it here, but I’m gonna be late for work…”

 

The pink haired woman rose an eyebrow, and looked down at the moped. “And where is it you work?” she asked, crossing her bulging arms.

 

“The...diner up ahead.”

 

“Oh! Not a problem. I can help.”

 

“What?”

 

“Trust me. Get on tiny scooter, I will help.”

 

“Um, alright…”

 

Hana sat herself down onto her moped, looking over to the other woman for her next instruction. “What next?”

 

The muscular woman smiled. “Now you hold on.”

 

“What do you mean I-- AH?!!!?!”

 

Before she even knew it, the woman had picked up Hana’s moped, with Hana still on it, with very much ease. “I bring you to your diner!” she exclaimed as she began running.

 

“DON’T DROP ME!”

 

“You weigh like feathers! You will be fine.”

 

The two moved fast under the streetlights, Hana wailing while the other woman laughed, as if this was something she did on an everyday basis. But it appeared that the woman kept her promise, for soon enough she slowed down as the diner came into view.

 

“Well that was fun,” the muscle woman said to Hana as she gently placed her back on the street. “You have lovely morning, now.”

 

Hana sputtered, not knowing how to properly respond. “I- I can't- I don't- um- thanks-”

 

The other woman beamed. “Is no problem! I am happy to help.”

 

She turned to the diner, giving it a quick look-over. “This diner is very cute. How is the food? I will take my wife here.”

 

Hana blinked. “Oh, the food here’s great! And everyone is super, super nice. We’d be happy to have you, especially since you helped me get here on time!”

 

“Good to hear. Mei will appreciate a place like this.”

 

Wait.

 

Did she just say…

 

“Mei? You mean Professor Mei-Ling Zhou?”

 

The other woman flashed another big smile. “Yes! You one of my wife’s students?”

 

“Yeah! So that means you’re Zaryanova?”

 

“Zarya, yes.”

 

Hana grabbed all of her belongings and made her way into the diner. “I wish I could talk more, but I gotta go! Thanks again Zarya, hope to see you again soon!” 

 

They waved goodbye to one another, and Zarya sprinted back into the darkness.

 

\---

 

The morning dragged. A few hours had already passed and there had been very few customers. Satya instructed Hana to refill all the condiment bottles for the time being. Bored out of her mind, Hana worked on her task behind the counter with very little enthusiasm.

 

“Somethin’ on yer mind?” Jamison asked as he stabbed a potato with his fork.

 

“Ugh...I dunno how I’m gonna get to class on time…” Hana groaned. “My moped’s motor is shot.”

 

“Hmm. Sure would be aces if ya knew anyone that could help,” Jamison shrugged as he shoved food in his mouth.

 

Hana missed the container and spilled ketchup on her white apron. She let out a sigh of defeat as she reached for paper towels. “Mr. Shimada’s gonna have my head if I’m late again.”

 

“Yeah, too bad no one ‘round here could give ya a lift an’ maybe even fix ya ride,” Jamison muttered into his teacup.

 

“God, this sucks…” Hana put her face into her hands.

 

“Nope, no mechanic ‘round these parts with a peg leg who c’n do all that-”

 

Hana’s palms slowly fell from her head, her face twisted in suspicion. Jamison cackled at her expression.

 

“How many hints am I gonna hafta throw at ya?” he laughed. “Listen, if ol’ Amari hasn’t tossed you out after ya first day then I say ya mean well.”

 

Satya sauntered behind the counter with her arms crossed. “If only Ms. Ana had the sense to toss  _ you _ out,” she said with a sneer. Hana fidgeted awkwardly while Jamison let out a loud snort. Satya turned to Hana with a softer expression. “Besides, Torbjörn is far more capable of repairing your moped. You do not need this fool’s help.”

 

“Aww, Torby’s got ‘is hands full with that bucket a bolts over there as it is!” Jamison laughed as he gestured towards Bastion the jukebox. “Be awful rude to put somethin’ else on his plate.” Torbjörn, who was beside the jukebox with his toolbox, popped his head up in annoyance. “I heard that, you scoundrel!” he barked.

 

Satya threw her nose in the air and walked away with a huff. “Get back to work, Hana.” she said before she was out of earshot. Hana watched her go, then turned back to Jamison. “Well anyways, uh...thanks,” she said. “Really nice of you to offer.”

 

“Oh but don't think I’m doing this completely free,” Jamison said, wagging a finger. “I expect payment in return.”

 

_ Of course,  _ Hana thought to herself. _ Shoulda known there was a catch. _

 

The waitress sighed as she resumed her previous task. “How much is it gonna cost? You probably have an idea what kinda pay I get, so don't expect me to agree right away.”

 

Jamison shook his head. “Ah, I ain’t askin’ for yer money. You’ll just owe me a big favor, s’all.”

 

Hana cocked an eyebrow. “What kinda favor?”

 

“You’ll know soon enough,” Jamison replied with a wink. “No worries, I ain't gonna make you do somethin’ inappropriate.”

 

“Good, cuz I got 911 on speed dial.”

 

“Least one of us does!”

 

The front door of the diner swings open, and Reinhardt comes strutting through, beaming with a pile of letters in his massive palms. “Good morning everyone!” he boomed. 

 

Ana must’ve sensed his presence, for she had stepped out of her office to greet him. “Hello, my dear friend. Anything good in the mail today?”

 

Reinhardt walked over to her and placed the letters in her hands. “It looks like the usual, Ana. But another holiday is coming up so maybe you’ll get something nice!”

 

Ana stepped away and Reinhardt scanned the very small crowd in the diner. His eyes set upon two people sitting in the middle. “Why hello, Gabe! I see you’re with a friend today! I’m so happy for you!” he said cheerfully with a wave. Reinhardt’s bearded old friend who turned around to face the other man, huffed in amusement while the woman across from him giggled behind her purple laptop. Reinhardt approached the table and gave Gabe a friendly slap on the back before he addressed the other guest. “So how do you know Gabe, my dear?”

 

The woman with a dyed undercut ran her fingers through the uncut side of her hair in curiosity and interest. “The old man and I work together,” she explained with a playful smirk. “Though I’m afraid I can’t give you the details on that.”

 

Reinhardt laughed. “Ah, still working undercover? I hope you do not wear yourself out, my friend. Good luck to you both!” he said.

 

“Always the lighthearted worrywart, aren’t you?” Gabe said. 

 

Reinhardt winked at Gabe’s co-worker and gave Gabe one more pat on the back before he headed over to the counter. He approached Hana and Jamison and gave them a pleasant smile. “So how is your second day here going, miss?” he asked.

 

Hana sighed dramatically. “Well to be honest, it’s been a real rollercoaster. But I’m also learning more and more about how close-knit the community is!” 

 

“That’s because you work for Ana. When others know you know her, you have more allies. Ana is a kind soul and residents come here to support her,” Reinhardt replied fondly. “I’ve known her for many, many years and have seen her at her best, and her worst. She is a very special person.”

 

Hana tilted her head. “You guys seem really, really close. Have you two ever…?”

 

Reinhardt’s face turned a slight shade of pink. “Oh, oh goodness no! We are just very good friends. Well there was a time when-ah, I really should get back on my route!”

 

Before she could ask him what he meant, Reinhardt was yelling his goodbyes as he sped out the door. Jamison couldn’t help but laugh at Hana’s expression. “Ya done scared off the mailman!” he mustered out through his giggles. 

 

“Oh gosh, I really didn’t mean to…” Hana rubbed her head in embarrassment. 

 

A soft ding! went off behind them and Angela appeared behind the counter as Mako finished placing hot plates of food on the window. Catching sight of the man of his affections, Jamison stood up to get his attention. “Oh, Hoggy! Another magnificent feast as always, you beautiful creature.” Hana spotted Mako roll his eyes as he turned around and went back to cooking. Jamison regained Hana’s attention by waving a hand by her face. “Tip’s under the shakers, sheila. What’s say we get your ride onto mine so we can get ‘er purring again?” he said.

 

“Yeah, totally! Oh, hold on,” Hana looked over to where Angela was placing down customers’ meals. “Is it alright if I go outside really quick?”

 

Angela nodded. “Just don’t take long, you don’t want to upset Satya anymore than she already is.”

 

\---

Jamison told Hana the location of the garage he worked at, and told her he’d have her moped fixed by the time she got out of class. Hana had asked him what this “big favor” was that he wanted her to do for him, but he refused to say what it was until her moped was done. As he drove away, Hana walked back inside the diner as she quickly glanced at her phone to look up numbers to local taxi services. Putting her phone away once she was satisfied with her search, she immediately jumped back into work. Knowing that her moped was going to be taken care of was a bit of a relief, but she was also feeling a bit nervous. Was it wrong to immediately trust someone she just met with her moped? Well, Jamison did tell her where he worked, so if he fucked up she knew where to find him…

 

Hana was snapped out of her thoughts when the phone rang. Satya picked up the receiver and pulled her long hair aside to place the receiver to her ear. “Fareeha’s Diner, Satya speaking. Oh, hello Mrs. Lindholm. Mmhmm. Yes, certainly. One moment.” Satya pulled the receiver from her ear and placed her hand over it. “Torbjörn!” she addressed the janitor, still working on the jukebox. “It is your wife. She is calling about one of your sons.”

 

“Oh, hope that nasty flu goin’ around hasn’t gotten to my home,” Torbjörn said as he came over to answer the phone. While Torbjörn spoke to his wife, Hana leaned towards Angela to whisper to her. “I didn’t know Torbjörn was married with kids! Have you guys met his wife?”

 

“Yes we have,” Angela said with a smile. “An amazing and beautiful woman. Strong too, definitely considering the amount of children they have.”

 

“How many do they have? Three? Four?” Hana asked.

 

Angela giggled. “Uh, well, Torbjörn has eight children, actually.”

 

_ EIGHT?! _

  
Angela’s giggles turned into a full-on laugh at Hana’s shocked face. Torbjörn told Angela to keep it down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's more surprises where that came from, Hana.
> 
> Anywho, we hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	6. Do Me a Solid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana finds out what Jamison's "big favor" is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!! ♡♡♡ This extra special chapter by Sassy was done just in time for this perfect holiday.

Hana squinted at the name on the bent, torn edged business card that Jamison had given her. It stunk of grease and oil, so in short it smelled of Jamison. The address wasn’t too far from the diner to be honest, no wonder Jamison showed up so often throughout the day it was literally only a few minutes away. Just how fast was him when it came to mending mopeds? 

 

She recalled a time her dad’s car broke down, and the mechanic who had taken it in worked on it a week or more. Claiming this was wrong, that was wrong, this part needed replacing, but said part would take two weeks to arrive. It had made her a little wary when it came to mechanics, but Jamison didn’t appear to be the swindling type.

 

At least, according to herself. She was pretty sure Satya wouldn’t trust Jamison with anything of hers, no matter how busted it is.

 

Classes had passed without incident thankfully and Hana hadn't mentioned Zarya to Mei. She'd chosen not to on account of her never having mentioned a wife before. During in-class breaks, Hana would overhear Mei referring to someone named Zaryanova over the phone, but it never occurred to Hana that Zarya was her significant other. Maybe she was secretive for a good reason, or wanted to announce it herself one day. But Zarya seemed to not think the same way, considering how open (and even  _ proud _ ) she was about calling Mei her wife.   
  
Whatever the reason Hana was now approaching the garage. It was a big place, and even if the sun was going down on the horizon the place was a hive of activity. There were cars parked out front, others inside being lifted up to be worked on... and every guy here matched what Hana had thought mechanics looked like.   
  
Big, tattooed, beards, bandanas...    
  
She spotted Jamison easily since he stuck out like a sore thumb. He'd just exited a back room as he spotted her and smiled that familiar friendly smile and hobbled up to her on his peg leg.   
  
"Heya sheila! Found the place alright?" he asked.   
  
"Yeah actually it wasn't too hard." Hana smiled, though she still burned with curiosity as to what he'd ask of her.   
  
"Bonza. This way now!" Jamison turned and led her into the garage and she could feel the eyes of the men on the two of them. Some were muttering to one another, and she distinctly heard a chuckle.   
  
"Now what's this?"    
  
A rough voice stopped them in their tracks, as did the owner. A dark haired man in his late thirties, overalls on, sleeves rolled up, hands on hips. "Your little girlfriend Junkrat?" he asked, before looking Hana over. "She's too cute for you."   
  
"Oh ha ha!" Jamison laughed as if it were the greatest joke in history. "That was a good one mate, me, with a girl!"   
  
"Yeah you're too ugly for that."    
  
Around them the other greaser moneys began to laugh too. Whether with, or at, Jamison was hard to tell but Hana didn't like it. She was frowning, fist clenched at her side.    
  
"Too right." Jamison readily agreed, walking around the man, urging Hana to follow with a wave of his good hand. "Ugly 'n proud that's me mate, that's me." he paused and looked at the man, giving a sneer like grin. "Remind me again though mate, who's the best 'n most requested mechanic this place has again? Who, despite his disabilities and hideous face continues to be one of the most trusted mechanics this place ever had?"   
  
The laughter stopped. Silence smothered it. Mechanics turned back to work and the source of the harassment frowned before scoffing dismissively and walked off.   
  
"Thought so." Jamison said without fear before turning his smile to Hana. "C'mon luv let's go get you your ride back!"   
  
"Are they always like that??" Hana asked, able to give a voice to her utter shock and disgust.    
  
"Like what?"    
  
"That!!" she gestured behind herself. "Bullying you! Calling you those horrible things!"   
  
"Aw it's harmless fun." Jamison laughed, head jerking a little as he took her to the far corner of the garage, where there was a severe lack of nude women calendars but an increase of rock star posters. Many of them from Australia like AC/DC, Midnight Oil, and... Priscilla Queen of the Desert movie poster. "Buncha wankers with noffin' better to do. Don't hurt me none, they can't make me feel bad about who I am." he turned his head to smile at her. "Only I get to decide that!"   
  
Hana frowned still. This was workplace harassment and it should be reported. Jamison had every right to work here without being bullied... that's when she saw her moped and gasped.    
  
There it was looking shiny and new. Had he polished it? Buffed the wheels? Brightened the lights?   
  
"Oh my gosh!" Hana hurried to the moped, hands to her chest. "It looks brand new!"   
  
"Gave her the ole spit 'n polish." Jamison walked to a stool by his work bench. Behind him, a calendar showing fancy rats though it was stuck on a few months back. One date was circled in red ink. "She deserved it, gotta look real nice for your new job!"   
  
"Thank you!" Hana gushed, "You're too good for this place, those assholes don't know what they're talking about!"    
  
If he wasn't permanently covered in grease and grime, she would have maybe hugged him. Maybe. Hana turned back to her moped, realising he has also given the seat a polish too. It even smelled newer.   
  
Jamison laughed. "I love my job." he admitted. "Cuz I'm lucky to have it, after I got kicked out of college."   
  
"You were in college?" Hana asked, now super curious about the double amputee mechanic.   
  
"Aw sure, was studying to get into bio-engineering! Top of me class too but then..." his face turned grim, his messy brows narrowed and he turned his head to look away to the distant past. "...the Incident."   
  
"Incident?"   
  
Jamison blinked before looking back to her, all smiles again. "Not that it matters no more ey? Anyway that's you all done 'n dusted,” he hopped off of his stool, plucked her keys from where he’d been stashing them this entire time (his back pocket) and handed them over to her. “Here ya go, your wheels back good as new.”

 

Hana gladly took her keys back, smiling at the bunny charm that hung from them, before looking back to the (surprisingly) tall mechanic, and narrowed an eye. “But I still owe you... just what are you going to ask me? Is this like a Godfather type deal, you’ll call on me and I’ll have to follow through?”

 

For the first time in all the time she'd seen Jamison, his smile left his face. His expression went grim, and he glances around the immediate area they were in before looking back to her. "C'mon let's walk your ride outside." clearly whatever it was he was going to say, he didn't want to say here in case he was overheard.

 

They exited the garage without incident. Well, there was one. Some guy wolf whistled at Hana as she walked past with her moped, to which Jamison told the guy to shove his 'schlanger' up a tailpipe. Whatever that meant. Soon the cool night air greeted the two of them as they walked down to the sidewalk. "Sooo..." Hana said, hands on her mopeds handlebars as she looked to Jamison curiously.

 

"Truth is sheila, I'm sick." he said in the most gravest tone she'd ever heard him use in her two days knowing him.

 

"Sick?" she asked. She hated to admit it but it kind of showed. He looked generally dishevelled as Hell, and surely that hairstyle was not natural. Hair loss? Was he having chemotherapy? Was that why he was to scrawny looking? "Oh my god I'm so sorry, do you know--"

 

" _ Love _ sick."

 

There was silence, and Hana lowered her brows into a slightly annoyed glare she gave the, now, grinning Australian. He burst into laughter, quite proud of himself and his little joke before wiping a tear from his eye. “Oh god been wantin’ ta use that one for ages!” he gave one more snort before giving his bottom lip a bit of a bite. “Sorry, but uh. Truth is, I’m kinda into your diner’s cook.”

 

“No way, I so wouldn’t have known.” Hana teased.

 

“I know right?” he asked, whether he was genuine or playing along was hard to tell. “I just. I need a bit of help. I been tryin’ to appeal to him for months now but bloke won’t gimme a smile or even a word. Not since we met. He spoke then, ‘n oh god.” Jamison fanned his prosthetic hand against his chest. “What a voice.”

 

“How  _ did _ you meet?” Hana wanted to know, more than she’d be willing to admit.

 

“Saved me life he did.” Jamison replied, “Pulled me outta the way of some crazy bastard behind a wheel. I coulda wound up dead if not dead from the neck or waist down!” he shook his head, “Some drivers round here shoot round like bats outta Hell ‘n my hearing aid wasn’t workin’ right that day and next thing I know as I was crossing the street was these massive hands pulling me outta the way of this truck. All but thrown me to the ground he did!”

 

Sounded like quite the meeting. “Wow... that must’ve been scary for you.”

 

“Scary ‘n exhilarating.” Jamison admitted. “But sister, let me tell you the angels sung in the heavens that day I first saw his face ‘n heard that man’s voice. He’s brilliant, is what he is, and I just wanna get through to him. I was hopin’, you being his work mate ‘n all, you could help a brother out a little? Let him know that I’m genuine in my affections and I’m not pulling a fast one on him?”

 

“You want me to be your wingman for Mako...?” she asked, slowly.

 

“U-huh.” he nodded his head.

 

She’d been asked to do weirder things by guys but never be a wingman. Did she even know how to?

 

“Please?” Jamison asked, his voice sounding genuine and sincere as he pressed his hands together. “I been tryin’ for months and I just want a lil’ smile or something from the big guy. If that’s all he’s willing to give me after all this then that’s that and I’ll be fine but...  _ please _ .”

 

“Wow you really do have it bad.” Hana almost felt sorry for him. He had chosen one of the most stoic men Hana had ever met to push all of his affections onto. 

 

“Told ya, sheila. Lovesick.”

 

\--

 

Driving back to her dorm Hana focused on the driving, though her mind couldn’t help but think back to that odd ball Jamison in that garage full of bullies. He was nothing but smiles and jokes, despite the pretty bad environment he found himself in. It was a little inspiring, even if he was, again, an oddball.

 

And how the heck was she going to be a wingman? Mako had barely cast a glance in her direction since their first day, now Jamison wanted her to help him in getting him on a date? What if he wasn’t interested? Straight?  _ Married _ ? She didn’t know anything about the guy other than he was a good cook, and that he’d saved Jamison’s life.

 

She was just heading up the stairs to her dorm room when her phone alerted her to a text. Quickly she pulled it from her pocket and was shocked to see who it was from. Lúcio, his name accompanied by a tiny frog emoji, blinked on the screen. The text message read as follows;

 

     > ‘hey yo! just a reminder about the show tomorrow night! you comin’?’

 

The fact he’d taken the time to personally message her kind of had Hana’s cheeks flush a bit. She fumbled with her phone, and keys, and bag as she made her way into her dorm, dropping two of said objects to the floor while putting all her attention onto the third.

 

     > ‘Yes!!! My moped went bust on me and I was sooo scared I couldn’t make it but it’s all good now I can’t wait!!’

 

She leaned on the wall, sending the text, and thought for a moment how easier being this wingman would be if Mako were their, or Jamison’s, age. They could totally go to the show together and enjoy the music and get to know one another. Maybe even dance a bit! That would be so much easier, for not only her, but Jamison too.

 

Her phone buzzed again, and once again there was a text from Lúcio.

 

     > ‘aw yeah! awesome i’ll see you there!’

 

Still, couldn’t fight the excitement. She was going to a show, to see and possibly hang out with Lúcio afterwards. So far this was turning out to be a great week, even if her moped had decided to throw a tantrum half way through the week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta admit, Sassy and I were laughing about how yall knew exactly what the favor was about. But, clichés can be fun sometimes! 
> 
> See you next chapter!


	7. What's Left Unsaid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana has a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this chapter!

The beautiful thing about the weekend was, Hana only had classes from Mondays to Thursdays. Which means, she can work much longer hours at the diner and make more money. The diner closed everyday at 3pm, so she would still have the rest of the day to enjoy herself. 

 

But she wouldn’t leave the restaurant right away when it was closing time, for she was on a mission.

 

Hana began to brainstorm as she brewed the first coffee pot of the day. Ana unlocked the front door of the diner and flipped the CLOSED sign over to OPEN. Like clockwork, Officer Oxton joyfully made her way inside. This time, however, as Hana turned to greet her she noticed something sticking out of her bag.

 

“Morning, Officer Oxton! Whatcha got down there?” Hana asked as she prepared the policewoman’s usual coffee order. Lena flashed the waitress a sparkling smile. “Today I’m going to be doing a lil’ show and tell in my wife’s kindergarten class!” she said happily. “And whenever I visit a school I always bring my friend!”

 

Lena opened her bag and pulled out a medium-sized stuffed animal, specifically a cute and fuzzy gorilla wearing a pair of glasses. “I’m Winston the Wise and I love peanut butter!” the officer said in a mock-deep tone. “Here’s some Wise Wisdom from Winston: look both ways before crossing the street!”

 

Hana stifled her giggles with one hand while the other set Officer Oxton’s coffee cup on the counter. “He’s so cute!” she said between laughs. “How long have you had him?”

 

Placing the gorilla toy back into her bag, the officer instead pulled out her wallet to pay for her drink. “Goodness, I’ve had Winston for years! I brought him with me during my time in the police academy, and he never stopped being an important part of my life. Plus, the kids love him!”

 

“Do you let any children play with him?”

 

“I let ‘em pat his head at most, but the big guy’s really delicate. If a kid is too grabby, Winston lets out a little ‘roar’!”

 

Officer Oxton said her thank yous and goodbyes, and headed out the door with her coffee. A soft  _ ding!  _ snapped Hana into reality and went back to work. Sort of. Catching a glance at Mako through the small window before he moved back into the kitchen, Hana remembered her mission.

 

However Amelié just walked in and looked more sour than usual, so plotting would have to wait.

 

\---

 

Turns out, Hana misread the signals. Amelié was content during her whole visit, and surprisingly enough she even complimented Hana’s shoes. Jack seemed a lot more cooperative today, so taking his order was easier on Hana this time around (still a shitty tipper, though). Satya let her wait on a few non-regulars for the first time, and later on told her she was doing a fine job. It put Hana in a great mood, and made her feel even more confident about going through with her objective. 

 

When Jamison swung by, he rose an eyebrow at her while he ate. Hana winked at him and mouthed “after work”. He shrugged, willing to be patient, and finished his breakfast. 

 

Mighty steps crossed the floor as Reinhardt made his routine mail stop. He was cheerful as always, much to Hana’s slight surprise considering how flustered he had gotten yesterday when she asked about his relationship with Ana. Maybe he forgot about it...?

 

“Hey, Reinhardt,” Hana said, a bit worried. “About yesterday-”

 

“It’s quite alright, my dear!” he boomed. “I was just not expecting that question at all. But that is not a story I’m ready to share with you, just yet.” 

 

Hana opened her mouth, but couldn't actually think of what to say. She didn't realize what she asked was that heavy of a question, but everyone handles their business differently. “I...I’m still sorry if it was awkward.” But Reinhardt simply shook his head with a smile.

 

“Water under a bridge! Now, who would like to take these letters…?”

 

“I can take those off ya hands,” Jamison said with a laugh. Reinhardt playfully whacked the letters on top of his head. “Now now boy, I can't have you causing trouble a second time! Besides, you don't even work here.”

 

“A second time? You mean The Incident?” Hana asked.

 

The entire diner went quiet.

 

Hana looked around nervously at all the faces staring in her direction, as if everyone was in on a joke except herself. After a moment of silence that felt like forever, conversation and the movement of silverware resumed. Hana was still incredibly confused, so Jamison decided to take pity on her. 

 

“Let’s just keep any talk of You-Know-What in private,” he said. “Issa bit of a...touchy subject.”

 

“But like, what is it? What happened?” 

 

Reinhardt chimed in. “Someday you’ll learn the story, my dear. In the meantime, I’ll be on my way!”

 

As the tall mailman made his way out, Hana was still not convinced. But she would have to ask more questions some other time, for business began to pick up. Jamison, watching her begin to walk around to customers at a fast pace, took it as a sign to leave. Placing cash by his empty teacup, he shouted at Hana “don't forget ya ‘payment’!” as he hobbled out.

 

All this multitasking was gonna wear her out at some point.

 

\---

 

It was finally closing time. Ana locked the front door while everyone tidied up their respective work locations. Hana knew she would have to stay around longer if she was to get Mako’s attention, considering that cleaning the kitchen required a little more work.

 

It looked like Angela wasn't in a hurry to leave either, so she decided to strike up a conversation with her for the time being.

 

“Hey, you mentioned something about being a student too when we met,” Hana said to her while sweeping the floor behind the counter. “What are you going to school for?”

 

Angela looked up from wiping down tables to respond. “I’m a medical student!” she replied. “I’m studying to become a doctor, which is my dream. However med school is very expensive, so I work three jobs to pay for tuition.”

 

“Three jobs? That really sucks.”

 

“Ah, but it keeps me fed and in class, at least.”

 

Hana couldn't argue that. Wherever Angela was attending must’ve been three times as pricey as the college in town, so she wasn't going to pry any further. Especially in this day and age, college in America was difficult to pay for.

 

Completing the last of her cleaning tasks, Hana grabbed her things from her locker, said her goodbyes and walked out the door. She leaned against the wall of the diner to wait.

 

And wait.

 

And wait.

 

Just how long did it take to clean that small kitchen?

 

Hana was about to give up and go home when she turned and noticed a large figure walking away from the diner.

 

_ Shit, I totally forgot about the back door…! _

 

Mako didn’t get very far, so Hana had no difficulty catching up to him. She put a lot of energy in her sprinting, so she panted heavily as she slowed her pace behind him. Mako must have heard her footsteps and labored gasps, for he was then turning around to assess what the noise was. He was greeted by Hana hunched over while she attempted to catch her breath, but said nothing. She noticed by his feet that he had finally turned around, so she placed a finger up in the air to signal that she needed a moment.

 

When she finally collected herself, she straightened herself upwards and regained her composure. Mako’s blank expression turned into one of slight curiosity, but remained silent.

 

“This is probably gonna seem weird, since we don't talk that much at work,”  _ or at all, really… _ “But, I wanted to talk to you about something.”  _ More like som _ eone.

 

Hana thought of all the things she wanted to say to him, but nerves were starting to creep up on her and her mind felt more scrambled than usual.

 

_ Ugh, I’m supposed to be the wingman here yet I’M the one getting cold feet. Figure that one out! _

 

She cleared her throat. “So, y’know, that Jamison guy, he seems to really dig yo-”

  
  


The reaction was almost instantaneous. This man who, for the past few days of knowing him, had offered little more than a glance or a grunt, turned a few shades darker across his face. His expression, emotionless, was suddenly tinted with nerves, embarrassment and a hint of, possibly, shyness? 

 

Hana waved her hands back and forth nervously. “Ah, was that too forward? I’m not trying to make fun of you I promise!” She took a deep breath, and shoved one of her hands into her jacket pocket. Pulling it out, she handed Mako the greasy business card Jamison had given her when she needed help finding the garage. He stared at the card hesitantly, then back to her. Hana didn’t wait for a response.

 

“I think you two could hit it off,” she said. “But, only if you want to give it a shot.”

 

With her other hand, she took one of Mako’s and placed the card into his palm with a friendly pat. Mako looked like he had turned another shade of red, but he didn't shy away from Hana. To Hana’s relief, he placed the card into his pocket (she was afraid he was going to rip it in front of her).

 

Mako’s face ceased from the harsh blushing, and tilted his head to physically ask if there was anything else for Hana to say. Hana smiled at him and gave him a thumbs-up. “Good luck!” 

 

Mako gave her a small nod and resumed walking. Hana was about to head in the other direction when her phone buzzed. Pulling the cell phone from her bag, she looked at the screen and saw that Lúcio had texted her, reminding her once more of the dance club event later that evening. After she texted him back saying how excited she was for it, she put her phone back into her bag.

  
Looking back up, Hana watched Mako continue to increase the distance between them as he walked down the road. Remembering the sight of his face when she brought up Jamison, she stood there in curiosity before making her way back to her dorm. But whatever happens next, she was sure Jamison would tell her all about it. She had built a bridge for him, and she only hoped that it wouldn't get burned down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT 2-19-17: We'll be taking a short break from updates - it's RoadRat Week! But some really good stuff is coming up in the next chapter so stay tuned.


	8. Strobe Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Party time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, thank you so much for your patience. Sassy and I are excited to get back into the groove. Hope you enjoy today's addition by Sassy!

Hana had never been to this part of town before, but that didn't stop nor hinder her efforts to get through the winding streets towards her destination. Phone out, map open and location marked, she made her way towards the club.   
  
She soon saw it come into view. A bright neon sign advertised the name of the joint, named Neverland Underworld. The whole club was underground, something she hadn't seen before. Hana wondered if it was one of those quiet clubs, where people would get headphones that would blast the music right into your ear drums.   
  
As she approached and felt the vibrations of the music already wobbling up her legs, she knew it wasn't. She took a selfie in front of the posters that advertised Lúcio appearing that night, complete with a peace sign.   
  
She showed her proof of age card, got a pink wrist strap to show she couldn't buy alcohol at the bar, and was allowed in.    
  
Down the steps she went, and the music got louder the closer she approached. Finally she reached the main floor, which was bigger than she anticipated. On one side of the almost cavern like club was the bar, which took up the whole wall. Drink selections filled it, while attractive men and women served the drinks.   
  
Across on the other wall was the stage. An elevated section of floor where huge speakers sat, a turntable at the forefront, and screens showing Lúcio’s logo danced.   
  
The dance floor was already a hive of activity and movement. She recognised more people than she thought, most of them from school. It was all the more surprising when she saw a far more familiar face among the crowd. A bald head, dots on his forehead, and those baggy clothes were unmistakable.   
  
"Zen?" Hana asked. He did say he was in a religious group, maybe they all dressed like this and in the lighting she may have mistaken someone else for Zenyatta.   
  
He turned his head and upon seeing her he smiled, and waved. He had a pink wrist band too, and tonight he wore a necklace of big beads around his neck. "Hello, Hana."   
  
"It's nice to see you! I didn't take you for a clubber?" She asked, curious.   
  
"This place is sometimes a strong magnet of positivity. I like it." Zenyatta smiled.   
  
"Hey who's this?"    
  
Hana turned when someone added themselves to the conversation and she was momentarily struck dumb. The man was for lack of a better word, gorgeous. A man who Hana thought could have played a younger version of Mr. Shimada in a movie; smooth skin, eyes painted with a faint hints of eye liner... and his hair was dyed green.   
  
He was also wearing a neck brace.

 

“Ah, Genji.” Zenyatta smiled softly, before gesturing to Hana. “This is Hana. I told you about how she came to my aid on campus, yes?”

 

“Yes!” Genji smiled a bright, charming smile that surely had ladies (and lads) swooning if he offered it to them. “I do remember. Hello Hana! My name is Genji, Zenyatta is a good friend and I want to thank you for helping him when I could not.”

 

“Oh, that?” Hana snorted a little, hoping her cheeks weren’t too red. “I only did what anyone else would have done..!”

 

“So modest.” Zenyatta complimented.

 

“Indeed!” his handsome friend agreed. 

 

Having a good look at him, Hana had to wonder how this handsome young man in the dashing clothing and charming smile would be friends with somebody as humble as Zenyatta. But she dare not ask, that would be rude. “It’s so nice to see you though! Lúcio fan, then?” she asked.

 

“Genji is a fan of his, more than I am. This is one of Genji’s first social gatherings in a few months, and he was excited to come so I insisted I accompany him.” Zenyatta explained, and he seemed to sense Hana’s curiosity. “He was in an accident, and I met him whilst he was recovering in hospital as part of my activities to serve those in dire situations. I visited him frequently and kept him company.”

 

“Yikes, I’m sorry it was so bad you were in hospital...” Hana said sympathetically.

 

“Ah no worries no worries. Now is not the time to dwell on the past. For the present is more important!” Clearly, Genji had spent a lot of time around Zenyatta since normally somebody like Genji probably wouldn’t talk like that. “Again thank you for helping him!”

 

Again she was blushing, shooing away the thanks, and was thankfully saved when the music finally began to rise in volume. The crowds began to cheer, the lights dimmed just enough and an announcer made a grand entrance for Lúcio finally appeared on stage. The crowds reaction was a suitable one filled with cheers and whistles, mixed with foot stomping and hand clapping. Hana whooped, jumping up and down as she also clapped.   
  
The stage suited him, as he was basked in the glow of the stage and strobe lights. People in the back could probably see his smile as it was so big and bright for the world to see.   
  
"Yo Wonderland Underland!" He called out, voice magnified over the crowd by a mic besides his lips. "How y'all doin' tonight?? Cuz we're about to amp it up so give yourselves to the rhythm and feel the groove!"   
  
Then the music dropped and the beat was amazing. It felt as though it swarmed your body and senses, made the room feel faster, fuller, and louder still. Hana couldn't stop herself from dancing, the music being as infectious as it was and she did indeed give herself to the rhythm just like Lúcio said to.   
  
Genji was enjoying himself, too, dancing as best as someone wearing a neck brace could. Zenyatta was doing something like dancing but also something like tai jutsu as his movement was both smooth and sharp.    
  
She didn't know how long she had been dancing for, nor did she care, but soon Hana needed a drink so she moved through the mass of people to the bar, reaching for her purse when she heard it. Those sounds that tell you a scuffle was about to start. Angry voices, tenseness in the air, a bad mix.   
  
That's when she saw it. A woman wearing a black hood, cap over her eyes, and generally looking like someone who'd knock over a convenience store threw the first punch. She was such a skinny looking thing too and yet the guy she slugged went down.    
  
It had a domino-like effect.   
  
The fighting spread, and Hana abandoned her quest for a drink and rushed back to where she had last seen Zenyatta and Genji. She could just hear Lúcio asking over the music and sounds of fighting what was happening. She couldn’t see them, which made her tense, yet not too scared. There was still time, and room, to make it to the exit and avoid this mess. Someone above the crowd shouted to call the cops, which was most likely the best course of action to take at this point.

 

Lúcio was suddenly with her, grabbing at her shoulder. He must have jumped off the stage, or something. “Hana, c’mon let’s get outta here before this gets worse!” 

 

“Yeah, yeah!” she agreed, nodding her head.

 

Moving through the crowd with him, shouting all around, this wasn’t exactly how she’d hoped the night would go. Hana hoped nobody would get too messed up here, that would be terrible. There was a muffled, far distant sound of sirens as Lúcio made a sudden and startled noise.

 

“Whoa hey hey!” he fell back just a bit, and Hana turned to see someone among the swarm of people attempting to hit him.

 

She was between him and his assailant quicker than she thought she would be. “Get through this!” she shouted, and swung her own fist. But she missed, and instead she got a fist to the face and she fell back against Lúcio who grabbed her to keep her steady.

 

Hana wasn’t aware of leaving the club, she was dizzy and a little taken aback by the knock to her face. Lúcio was still with her, talking to her hurriedly to make sure she was still okay and hadn’t been hurt too bad.

 

Sirens were all around, there was also a news van. People were being streamed out of the club, some sporting injuries, many hanging onto friends, and many more on the phones. Lúcio helped Hana to sit on the sidewalk, kneeling besides her. “Hey are you alright? That was risky back there.”

 

“Yeah.” she agreed, though felt it was a little more than just a little risky in hindsight. What if that girl had a weapon or something? Only now did she begin to feel more than a little shaken, glad to be out in the open fresh air than in the underground club.

 

“Hana!”

 

Turning her head she saw Zenyatta and Genji hurrying up to her. Neither looked to have been caught up in the mess, thankfully. She smiled, “You’re both okay!”

 

“I got Zenyatta out of there soon as that mess started,” Genji explained. “Knowing him he would have put himself between two guys beating each other up to stop them.”

 

“I must try my best to stop such violent actions.” Zenyatta said with a slightly sour look to his face.

 

“Not when it’s a threat to your own safety it isn’t.” His friend countered, before looking down at Hana, and slowly crouching down besides her. “Did you get hurt?”

 

“Boy, she took a punch to the face while trying to stop someone from giving me a black eye.” Lúcio explained. “Crazy, man. You can’t do stuff like that, it ain’t right to get caught up in that kind of mess.”

 

“I can handle myself.” She replied, though her face did feel incredibly sore and tender and she was sure she’d have a bruise for days now.

 

“I know you can.” Lúcio replied. “You kinda proved that tonight.”

 

Zenyatta had crouched besides her and rubbed her back in a supportive manner, smiling faintly as he did. “You have done well. Do not think your actions did not matter either. I’m proud of you.”

 

Despite not having known Zenyatta very long, if at all, that felt incredibly comforting to Hana. Even though she felt sore in the face, she had to smile, if just for him.

  
What a night.


	9. Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trouble never seems to escape Hana.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got pretty long. I got a little carried away heh heh....
> 
> ANYWAYS. Things continue to be a little hectic for our pal Hana. The drama!

Hana groaned as she inspected her eye in Satya’s hand mirror. Sure enough, the punch from last night left a nasty black ring on her face. She wasn’t upset about getting the black eye (Hana always thought having “battle scars” was cool); she was more upset about the fact that she had to wear it while she was at work. Hana already had numerous people ask her if she was alright, and it was starting to get exhausting. It wasn’t that serious, though whoever had punched her that night had better not cross paths with her a second time. 

 

Hana handed back the hand mirror to Satya with a muttered “thanks”. She had hoped that the swelling died down at least a little bit overnight, but it was still pretty dark. The lighting in the diner was much brighter than her dormitory bathroom, so the black eye was even more noticeable. She really wasn’t looking for a pity party, she wanted the work day to end quickly so she could go home and play video games in peace.

 

“It’s because of things like this that I do not partake in the nightclub scene,” Satya said as she brewed coffee. “Such immaturity. Nothing but hooligans making fools out of themselves and causing trouble when there are more important things to be doing.”

 

The smaller waitress was a little annoyed by that. “The night was actually going  _ great _ until that one asshole slugged me, that’s all. I was there for a friend who, by the way, is a really talented musician.”

 

“But your friend’s music talent couldn’t save you from getting hurt, now did it?” Satya asked.

 

Hana huffed angrily and stormed off to set tables. She wasn’t going to sit around and let Satya make her feel like an idiot, but the other woman could have  _ at least _ been more sympathetic. She was just about to slap down some paper table mats when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Ana wearing a small frown. “Come with me, my dear. You seem like you need to let out some steam,” the older woman said, gesturing to the door of her office. Hana wanted to say no, wanted to just plow through whatever mindless task she got so she could go straight home. But something about the look on Ana’s face made her reconsider.

 

With a sigh, Hana placed the table mats down and followed Ana away from the dining area. Ana instructed Angela to finish was Hana started so they could stay on task, and handed Torbjörn the key to the front door so he could open the diner when the time came. Closing the office door behind them both, Ana waved a hand at a chair in front of her desk. Hana sat down hesitantly, and quickly glanced around. Numerous picture frames littered the walls, many of them from Ana’s earlier days. A group photo caught Hana’s eye; a young Ana smiling proudly while surrounded by her old friends. Standing beside her in the picture was Reinhardt the mailman, still as gigantic as ever and beaming. On the other side of Ana was the ones Hana recognized as two of the regulars - Gabe and Jack. This picture must have been taken long before their big argument, for they each had an arm around the other’s shoulder and laughing. 

 

It was a really heartwarming scene.

 

Hana was snapped out of her thoughts by Ana clearing her throat. The waitress didn’t notice Ana had sat down across from her. “You look like you’ve had enough people ask about your eye, so I won’t. I of all people should know how that gets,” Ana said as she gently tapped her eye patch. “But don’t take what Satya said to heart, her experiences aren’t the same as yours.” Ana shifted in her chair, and looked over some of the papers on her desk. “You’ve been doing very well for your first week, dear. Keep up the good work.”

 

The compliment from her boss made her feel a little better. But it felt like Ana was looking for something else of out her, so she thought of what to say. She glanced at the group photo again, and started from there. “How long have you and Reinhardt known each other?” she asked. Ana placed the papers in her hands back onto the desk. “Oh? Oh, goodness. It’s been so long. All of us, including Jack and Gabriel, worked together many years ago. It was devastating when Jack and Gabe ended their friendship, but Reinhardt and I remained close.”

 

Ana gave Hana a small smile. “He was there for me during the best and worst times of my life. He was there when I got married, he was my shoulder to cry on when I got divorced...he got to hold Fareeha when she was born, he got to see her when she left…” Ana trailed off, her face suddenly downcast. “Reinhardt told her about how dangerous it would be. He knows from experience that war is hell. But my Fareeha, she didn’t let that deter her.”

 

Hana was frozen. The reason why the diner was named Fareeha’s was because Ana’s daughter had-

 

“After they broke the news to me, he stayed with me for weeks. He refused to let me grieve alone. When the time came, I renamed this place in her memory.” 

 

Ana inhaled, then exhaled slowly. “It never gets easier. The pain never really goes away, but when he was with me, it was a little more bearable.”

 

Hana almost wished she never brought up Reinhardt. She felt like she opened a door that wasn’t meant to be opened, yet. This was quite a lot to process. But, on the other hand, to hear from Ana all the things that the mailman had done for her, it was another example of what a well-mannered and caring person he was. It also explained why he got flustered when Hana had asked if there was ever anything between them. Even though he accepted her apology, she still felt bad about making him uncomfortable.

 

“Reinhardt told me you made him a little red the other day,” Ana laughed. “He is embarrassed to talk about it, but I’m a lot more open about it than he is.” The older woman stood up from her seat, and headed for the door. “But, that’s enough about my personal life. You’d better return to work.”

 

Oh, right. Still on the clock. Hana thanked Ana for the conversation, and re-entered the dining area. Strangely enough, Hana wasn’t so angry anymore, and she didn’t even mention anything about herself. 

 

As she approached the counter, Hana was surprised to see two figures at the counter that weren’t regular customers but still recognized. Her teacher, Mei-Ling, was speaking to Angela in a very worried tone while Zarya stood behind her with her massive arms crossed. They all must’ve heard her stepping towards them, for they all turned to face her. Mei’s eyes lit up, and she hurried over to her student. “Hana! Oh my God I was so worried about you!” she shrieked. “Zaryanova and I heard about what happened at the nightclub on the news this morning, and we both saw that you were there! Are you alr- oh your eye! Who did this to you?” 

 

Mei continued to fret over Hana while Zarya walked slowly behind her. “Please Mei, let the girl breathe. If she wasn’t fine, she would not be here,” the taller woman reassured her. The bodybuilder turned to Hana with a big smile. “Tiny woman, you are just like me. Get punched in the face, but don’t let it ruin your life. Taking life head-on, that is most admirable.”

 

Mei whirled around with a concerned look. “Zaryanova, my student was assaulted! How can you be so calm at a time like this?” she asked. Zarya simply shrugged, which earned a giggle out of Hana. Hana placed a hand on Mei’s shoulder, and her teacher turned back around, still tense. “It’s like Zarya said, I’m okay! Don’t worry about me. Though, I do appreciate you two coming here to check on me. Would you two like to stay for breakfast?”

 

Zarya nodded. “Yes, I would like that very much. Been meaning to bring tiny wife here. Especially if you will be our server.”

 

Hana suddenly remembered their conversation from when Zarya had carried her then-busted moped to the diner that one morning. “Oh, Mei, you never mentioned that Zarya was your wife!”

 

Mei sputtered a bit. “W-well, y-you see it’s, it’s just-”

 

“Is no big deal,” Zarya replied, placing both of her thick hands on Mei’s shoulders. “Mei prefers not to get into details about personal life. Trust me, it does not mean she is embarrassed of me.” Zarya placed a sweet kiss on top of Mei’s head, and Mei appeared more relaxed as she placed a hand on top of one of her wife’s. 

 

Hana clapped her hands together. “Alright! Now how’s about we get you two settled?” she asked cheerfully. She guided the couple to a table nearby, and handed them menus while explaining the day’s specials.

 

\---

 

The morning was moving smoothly, at least Hana thought it was, until a certain someone walked through the door. As soon as a very excited Jamison spotted Hana, he made a beeline towards her. “Hana! Hana! Sheila don't I got something to tell y- oof, the ‘ell happened to ya?”

 

Hana, a bit surprised by Jamison’s outburst while she was clearing a table of dirty dishes, took a second to compose herself. “Uh...don't worry about it. What’s up?”

 

Jamison was practically bouncing in place. “You really pulled through for me, mate! Last night I-”

 

They were both startled by someone slamming silverware on the table. 

 

“ _ You! _ ”

 

They both jerked their heads towards whoever had spoken, only to spot Mei glaring at Jamison with a heated intensity Hana had never seen in her whole life. Zarya was also staring at her wife, but it was with more curiosity than shock. But Mei clearly had some words to share with the lanky man. “I would think you’d be chased out of town after what you’ve done!” she spewed.

 

Jamison raised his hands in the air defensively, with a nervous chuckle. “Ha...hey there,” he said to the angry professor. “Fail any good students lately?”

 

That only seemed to infuriate Mei-Ling further. But whatever beef she had with Jamison, Hana was a poor college student and prioritized keeping her job over letting her professor and her friend duke it out in front of other customers. Standing between them, she said “Whoa now, keep it cool you two. You’re causing a sce-”

 

Sadly, it was like they didn’t hear her. “How  _ dare _ you take a shot at my teaching skills when you know damn well you were thrown out for a reason!” Mei bellowed. Hana wondered why Zarya wasn’t saying anything, but a quick glance at the pink-haired woman told her that she was actually pretty amused that her wife was going off. 

 

Noticing other patrons staring at them, Hana was about to try stopping them again, but that comment made her stop. “Wait, you used to go to my school?” she faced Jamison. “But you got yourself kicked out?”

 

Jamison shrugged in response. “Uh, surprise?”

 

“The  _ real _ surprise here is that you’re still showing yourself in public after what-”

 

“That’s enough.”

 

Hana swore she was going to suffer from whiplash by the amount of spinning around she’s had to do. Everyone followed the source of the deep voice, and were greeted by Mako and his signature pink apron. His expression was cold and unmoving as usual, his arms crossed as he stared back at the scene before him. Meanwhile, Hana’s expression was that of complete shock, for it was the first time she ever heard him speak. No wonder he usually stayed quiet; he had the voice to command an entire room.

 

By now, Mei had retreated back to her table, Zarya sympathetically patting her folded hands. Everyone else in the restaurant had lost interest in the altercation and returned to their food and conversation. Hana was still beside herself while Jamison fidgeted nervously next to her. It was only about 20 seconds, but it felt like an eternity before Mako spoke again.

 

“You want your usual?”

 

Jamison perked up at that. “You know just how I like it!” he responded, back to his overconfident self. Mako nodded at that, and returned to the kitchen. As soon as he passed through the doors, Jamison excitedly took Hana’s hands into his. “Didja hear that? That’s more words he spoke to me than over the phone!”

 

Hana’s mouth fell open slightly. Mako ended up calling him? She was just amazed that her one-sided conversation with the stoic man actually  _ worked _ . “Okay, okay, sit down first before you start running around,” she said, leading him over to his usual seat at the counter. “Now, spill!”

 

Jamison yammered on about how the phone call with Mako went, saying how all the other man said behind the receiver was a quiet “hello” and Jamison immediately knew it was Mako on the other end, and had slipped into a 20 minute rant about how long he waited to talk to him outside of the diner, while Mako assured he was listening with audible grunts. It wasn't the most vocal of conversations, but it was one Jamison appreciated nonetheless.

 

“...and when I asked if I could call ‘im the next day after his shift, he said yes! If I knew it woulda been this easy I woulda went up to ‘im meself, ‘course I wasn't entirely sure he’d ever want anythin’ ta do wit a guy like me, but-”

 

“I think you're overthinking this a little bit,” Hana said as she placed his breakfast in front of him. “You’re interested, he’s interested, just take it one step at a time and go from there.”

 

Jamison began stuffing his face as if he hadn't eaten in weeks. “Ugh, an’ t’ think if we ever get serious, I’ll get ta eat ‘is cooking all the time-”

 

“That’s...great, Jamison please just...you don't need to speak with your mouth full.”

 

\---

 

Three o’clock rolled around, and Hana tidied up the tables as efficiently as she could. She was very exhausted, and couldn't wait to go home. She had tomorrow and Monday off, so she planned to livestream some video games her friends from back home gave her before she moved to town for school. 

 

As she said goodbye to Angela and Satya, Hana walked outside when her phone rang. It was a text from Lúcio that read:

 

          > Hey Hana! I hope you’re feeling better. I’m so sorry about what happened last night, that was seriously uncool. You wanna meet up and get some burgers?

 

The waitress’ stomach growled upon reading that last word. She was so distraught this morning that she completely skipped breakfast, and didn't even have a snack during her shift. She was just about to reply to Lúcio when her phone buzzed a second time, only the new text was from an unknown number.

 

          > Was trying to apprehend a suspect. That punch wasn't for you. Sorry about your eye.

 

Okay, freaky.

 

Hana looked around where she stood to see if anyone was watching her. She read the text again, and tried to remember if she ever saw the face of the person who punched her. Unfortunately for her, it was still all a blur.

 

She’ll definitely try to trace the number later, but first she’d meet up with Lúcio. Those burgers were starting to sound  _ real _ good.


	10. Slammin' Ham

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana catches up with Lúcio at the local burger joint, and run into a few new friends she knows through school. Things are discussed, and the mysterious text is shared.

Those burgers smelt even better, in Hana’s humble opinion. As she approached the town’s best burger joint (they claim so boldly, but don’t all burger joints?) going by the name of Slammin’ Ham. That name alone earned Hana a laugh the first time she saw it, but she was pleasantly surprised to find the burgers and fries there really were good.

She spotted Lúcio sitting at a booth by one of the open windows, and she waved excitedly. He waved her over and smiled as she sat, but his smile faltered as concern crossed his face.

“Ah man, that’s...”

“Don’t you start,” Hana sighed as she sat. “Everyone at work’s been worried about me but I’m fine, really!”

“I know, sorry.” Lúcio apologised, before plucking the menu that was stood with the condiments that sat on every table in the burger joint, and handed her one. “So, hungry?”

“You know it.” Working at the diner was nice, of course it was, but the smell of the food was sometimes more than a little alluring. Mako’s food looked and smelled amazing and by what Jamison told her, it tasted even better than it looked. So she always left work feeling especially hungry, and now she could sit down and eat something filling with Lúcio.

She looked over the menu at the options. “My friends at school are going to be asking if I’m okay too I can hear it.” And of course Mr. Shimada won’t care at all, all he cares about is if his students arrived on time, suffered throughout his sessions, and gave in their homework on time. 

“Oh yeah? You go to the local one like I went?” he asked curiously.

“You went there too?” Hana looked across at him.

“Yeah man, course I did!” Lúcio smiled, but then frowned. “Course I was undecided, so I just did a mix of different courses while there since I had no idea what I wanted to do with myself.”

“Same,” She smiled weakly. “I don’t know what to do.”

Lúcio seemed pleased by this. “Aw I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I did, even if nobody was real supportive of my dreams of being a musician or anything.”

“No? Why? You’re super talented!” Hana was shocked.

He had to laugh. “Well, some guys supported me! This Jamie guy, he was all into my music samples I shared with him cuz he had bad hearing and he said my bass use was good.”

Hana paused a moment. No way. No... “Jamie? Like... Jamison? Tall guy, wild eyes, blonde hair, real thick Aussie accent?”

Lúcio’s eyes gleamed with recognition. “Yeah! Yeah yeah, Jamison! Man, I forgot his full name.”

“You were at school the same time he was?” Hana’s mind worked like a well oiled machine. If Lúcio was there, maybe he knew what the Incident was. Perhaps he could finally shed some light onto just what it was that Jamison done. It was so bad that Mei had lost her cool, something that literally never happened before. It must have been something real big.

“Yeah we had a few classes together. He was always showing up late in the mornings, and always showed up with some boba. Which is weird cuz I never seen a place round here that makes it.” he admitted.

“So if you were there, at the school, do you know what...” Hana cast a glance around in case of anyone who may possibly over hear, before leaning in. “The Incident was?” she asked, lowering her voice to a harsh whisper.

He stared at her for a moment, before laughing in a fairly nervous way. “Hah, well ahh. To be honest I wasn’t there that day when it happened, I was out sick that week with a real bad virus...”

“But you should know what at least happened!” She lamented, looking ten kinds of disappointed.

Before she could probe him for any more information, she spotted someone out of the corner of her eye who just walked into the joint. She recognized the young girl all but instantly since, well, when do you forget an eleven year old prodigy from Africa who you shared a few classes with in university?

Efi was, for the better lack of the word, adorable. She still had what one would consider a baby face, but she hadn’t a trace of baby fat on her. She was skinny and still fairly small for her age, but that didn’t hold back her mind which was at the top of its game. Hana hadn’t seen her out of classes before, not like this.

She wasn’t alone, naturally since she was only just eleven years old. Walking in behind her was a woman whom Hana had a faint memory of though she didn’t know from where. The woman, possibly Efi’s mother, was massive. She was tall, and powerfully built. Almost like Zarya, maybe less so? More so? It was hard to gauge from here but one word to describe her would be this: Buff.

Lúcio seemed to spot Hana’s eyes trailing away and followed her gaze, and he too brightened upon seeing the two. “Orisa hey!” he waved his arm and the tall woman turned her head to look over towards the two.

“Hana? Hana, hey!” Efi, just now having spotted the two over by the window, came rushing over. “I heard about what happened at the club!”

“Hah, what? How?” Hana wasn’t sure if Efi was a devout news watcher like most people.

“I told her.” the woman, Orisa, answered.

“Yeah don’t you recognize her?” Lúcio asked. “Orisa was one of the security guards at the club. She’s done almost all my shows and a few others around town.”

“Oh!” Hana blinked. Of course she hadn’t really recognized her, the night had been a blur of emotions and the big fight at the end threw all sorts of concentration on faces out the window. She still couldn’t really describe the face of the woman who’d struck her, which upset Officer Oxton a whole lot since she wanted the perpetrator dealt with.

“I did not realize you were studying with Efi,” Orisa said as she looked down at the younger girl who was still watching Hana’s face, namely that bruised eye of hers. “Though I think I recall her speaking of a Hana.”

“Mmh! Hana was the first one in my class to talk to me and not be a big jerk.” Efi said.

“Would you like to sit with us?” Lúcio asked.

“I would hate to intrude.” Orisa replied.

“You’re not, they’re not, right?” He looked across to Hana.

Hana giggled a little. “Course not! We can order together!” she scooted over, giving Efi room to sit next to her. “We can even talk about Mr. Shimada’s homework.”

“Done it already.” Efi replied smugly as she sat.

“Oh what!” Hana scoffed, “I don’t believe you!”

“I did! I swear! I do not lie.” 

After ordering their meals, Orisa insisting on paying for the three ‘kids’ (they were children in her eyes even if Lúcio was in his mid twenties and more than capable of paying for a meal like this), Hana made a small decision. She sat up a bit straighter in her seat.

“So uh, after everything that happened last night I got this weird text.” She said, as she fished through her bag for her phone.

“A text?” Lúcio asked.

Nodding, she pulled out her phone and swiftly unlocked it and opened up the message. Turning her phone around she showed Lúcio, Orisa, and Efi. “See?”

> Was trying to apprehend a suspect. That punch wasn't for you. Sorry about your eye.

Orisa, after asking, took hold of the phone to look at the screen closely as if she could deduct who had sent such a text from looks alone. “Very mysterious.” She frowned, looking back to Hana. “And you have no idea who it could be?”

“I can’t even remember what she looked like, if it was a she. I think it was?” Hana asked.

“If I were you,” Efi said as she picked up her drink and took a noisy sip from the straw. “I’d go to the police and tell them. They might be able to track the number!”

“Have you tried calling them back?” Lúcio asked. 

“Oh. Uh, no.” She laughed a little. “I guess that’s something...”

Before her nerves could stop her, Hana clicked the return call option but when she did, there was nothing but silence on the other line before it broke off and a cherry woman’s voice informed her the call could not be connected, and to please check the number and try again. Hana lowered the phone, frowning. “It’s disconnected.”

“Mystery!” Efi said excitedly. “Now you really should show the cops, maybe they have some high tech way of tracking even expired numbers!”

“I doubt it.” Orisa frowned, folding her large arms as she did. “If the number has been terminated and the contract nulled, perhaps the phone itself has been destroyed, the police will not be able to hunt down who or where the text came from.”

“Aw man. Cops are always much better on TV.” The young girl frowned.

“There’s probably a reason for that.” Lúcio chuckled before shaking his head. “Look, about that text, for now I’d just leave it be. Whoever hit you is sorry, but I’m really wondering what kind of suspect they’d be wanting to nab who’d be caught by trying to punch me.”

“Yeah! Who’d want to punch you?” Efi asked.

“A few people.” He admitted on a weak smile. There were some real pieces of work out there, those who were jealous or envious of his skill without knowing how hard he’d worked to get where he was today. How many rejections and knock backs he’d faced with his art, and now being approached by places to run his shows was like a dream come true.

Though now, after that brawl, he wasn’t sure if any local places would be looking to book him any more. Which made him more anxious than he’d wish to admit, but he wouldn’t go and blab about that now not in front of them. 

“Well they’re meanies and not worth the time of day.” Efi assured him with a pat to his arm; she had to stand up a bit to reach over and do that as he was sitting across from her.

“Heh, yeah you’re right.” Lúcio agreed with a wide smile. “Just a bunch of meanies.”

-

The burgers were as good as the motto boasted they were, and the fries were especially nice with a special salt used that made them super tasty. Hana had never felt so surprisingly full and not feeling that normal sickly feeling after eating greasy burgers. Maybe the company helped? Regardless, she and Efi had talked about classes, about how Mr. Shimada had to learn to take a chill pill, and before too long the group were heading off.

Orisa and Efi had to go food shopping now, and Lúcio had his own things to do.

Hana, on her still very sparkling and fully functional moped, hopped on and strapped on her helmet. She had time to go home now, get some homework done, then stream for her friends. There was a new patch for her game that came out that morning so her computer would have to download and upload that first, then she’d find out whether her main had been nerfed to Hell or not.

She drove down the street and came to a stop at a red light, watching the traffic cross in front of her when she caught sight of two familiar people across the street. Hana sat up a little more on her moped, foot digging into the asphalt, and she grinned behind her helmet.

It was Jamison and Mako. 

Man, it was so weird seeing Mako without his pink apron on, or at least half hidden behind the servers window. But there he was, as large as he was when she’d approached him after work. And only now could she see just how tall Jamison was in comparison, he was almost as tall as him! Was he standing tall instead of crouching over? He was. 

The reason why became obvious; they were _holding hands._ And Jamison looked like he was walking on Cloud 9, his smile was more than a little contagious as he walked along with Mako, talking a mile a minute from the looks of things while Mako quietly walked alongside him as his usual slow gait. Even if his face was still a little stoic, even from here, Hana could see he was happy.

She was so tempted to pull over and talk to them, but then again they looked really happy and just content with one another’s company. After all, it could be a date! Was it a date? She’d have to ask Jamison tomorrow if it was a date or not--shoot the light had changed!

Hana kicked off and drove down the street, smiling still behind the helmet. Even if she was still very curious about that text, the good company she’d just shared and seeing her kind of friend (and coworker) having a maybe-date couldn’t put a damper on her mood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, Sassy here and happy to introduce two new side characters to our cast! When Efi, and Orisa, were introduced over Overwatch these past two weeks we couldn't wait to do something with them! I was proud to be the one to bring them into our little world and I hope they can make appearances in the future!
> 
> And again thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story so far, your kudos and kind words in your comments mean the world to both of us!


	11. Down the Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's been going on lately?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again my dears! I was a little occupied with NSFW RoadRat Week and I wasn't sure when I was gonna get to updating MTO. But thanks to Sassy I'm back in gear!
> 
> This chapter only has a little dialogue, but you'll understand why. The story's really coming together!

A lot can happen in a couple months.

 

Hana continued with work and her studies, while staying loyal to her livestream fans and streaming games during the weekends. If Lúcio was free, Hana would invite him over to her dorm and they would play together. They also communicated back and forth about the strange apology text from the mysterious person who punched her at the club, and tried to do some sleuthing to figure out who it was from. Unfortunately, they found out the number was disconnected and the location was unknown. So Hana forgot about it.

 

As for how college was going, Hana kept up with her attendance and was actually starting to kind of enjoy Mr. Shimada’s class. One day she answered one of his questions with ease, and he smiled at her as he told her she was correct. It was the first time she had ever seen him do so, and she thought she was going to pass out in shock. To make things more interesting, he pulled her aside after class ended to talk about how well she was doing, and out of sheer curiosity she asked if he was related to Genji. The smile on his face faltered and he sighed, muttering out loud “that foolish younger brother of mine.” Guess that explains it.

 

Zarya had begun visiting Mei at the college during class breaks, and it made Hana happy to see Mei visually feel a lot more confident about being open about their marriage. Zarya would bring snacks for them to share, and when the break was over she kissed her small wife goodbye. Hana thought it was seriously cute. But regardless of Mei’s upbeat attitude, after the situation in the diner Hana was afraid to bring up anything about Jamison or The Incident around her. It was still annoying that Hana didn’t know anything about it, but whatever had happened had seriously left an ugly scar on the science teacher.

 

Her job at the diner was going really well. Ana was out of her office more often, and Hana loved watching her interact with the patrons. Ana was very good with people, and always knew what to say to make customers happy. It looked like things between her and the mailman were starting to pick up too; Reinhardt was now coming by the diner after closing time to spend time with Ana. Hana had her suspicions about where they went together after she locked up, but she wasn’t going to pry into her boss’ personal life. To make things better, Ana had told her that Jack and Gabe had started talking to each other again. One day a week, Hana would see them come into the diner together and share a table. While they never smiled at one another or even shared a laugh, they looked to be having really in-depth conversations. Maybe the fight that ended things between them was a lot nastier than she thought. When Gabe came into the diner with that younger co-worker however, he seemed a lot more…content. The co-worker must’ve noticed as well, for she was staring at her laptop a lot less when they conversed over their breakfast.

 

As for Hana’s co-workers, Satya had been promoted to assistant manager and has been busier than ever. While she still waits tables every now and then, Satya now helps Ana with tasks like placing inventory orders, counting the safe, and managing the staff. Hana thought that the new title and pay raise would make Satya at least a little happy, but she noticed the taller woman seemed more on edge than she was as a waitress. It’s like nothing ever pleased her! So frustrating. Angela, on the other hand, was facing some hard times. She was working longer hours at the diner because one of her three jobs laid her off, and she had found out that she was failing two of her classes. The medical school she was attending had told her that if she failed for the semester, she would lose her scholarship. It broke Hana’s heart to see her come to work every day looking like she was going to have an emotional breakdown. Angela put up a brave face in front of the customers, but Hana knew she was breaking down inside. “This is my dream on the line,” Angela had told her one day after she had to pull her crying self aside. “This is all I have right now.”

 

But it wasn’t all bad. Torbjörn had taken pity on the poor woman, and offered her a job as a tutor for his older children. Ana thought it was a wonderful idea, and so Torbjörn had his kids come by the diner after school got out. While Hana only got to see them during her weekend shifts, she thought it was really cool to watch Angela multitask between serving customers and walking by Torbjörn’s kids to help them with their homework. It made it a little easier on Angela too, doing two jobs at once meant having more time at home to keep up with her studies and work on bringing her grades back up.

 

Mako was a lot more sociable around the diner, now. Things between him and Jamison were getting pretty serious, and it definitely showed when he moved around the kitchen. Hana picked up on the little things, like Mako whistling a small tune while he cooked, instead of the one small _ding!_ of the order-up bell she heard a more friendly _ding! ding! ding!_ (which she didn’t even think was possible considering his large hands). If business was slow, Mako left the kitchen more often to join in on conversations, especially when Jamison was at the counter. Although he still didn’t say much aside from his normal grunts of acknowledgement, Hana was becoming more comfortable around him. To make things even better, Jamison had come into the diner one morning with a present in hand for his chef boyfriend. When Mako opened it up, he pulled out a pink apron much like the one he already wore, but this one had a really cute cartoon pig on the front pocket. Without hesitation, Mako ripped off the apron he had on and wrapped the new one around his waist. Hana thought Jamison was going to cry.

 

The relationship was certainly having a positive effect on Jamison, too. Hana made a second visit to the garage he worked at because a rock had collided with one of her moped’s rear view mirrors, and while Jamison said she was going to have to pay for the repairs he made sure she got a nice discount. Hana waited in his workspace while he got to fixing up the moped, and noticed a few new details. One was the new photo on the corkboard he had; it was a photo booth picture of him and Mako. They faces were surrounded by cutesy filter stickers, and Hana couldn’t help but giggle at the numerous sparkles over Mako’s blank expression. The next thing she noticed was that the guys around the garage were acting less mean to Jamison. The skinny mechanic mentioned to her that Mako came around a lot, so maybe they got a little intimidated after seeing such a large, stoic frycook hanging around him and looking like he could snap their necks if they made a snide remark. One last detail (and this was something she picked up on at the diner as well) was that Jamison was wearing much more skin-tight shirts and tank tops. Around the time they first got acquainted with one another, his tops were always really baggy and ill-fitting. Sometimes he would even wear a huge zipped up bomber jacket. Hana figured that was just how he liked it, but the sudden wardrobe change was strange. But, he was just so darn happy that maybe he felt more confident about wearing shirts like that. She never asked him about it.

 

Hana was in high spirits. So far, life at the diner and at school was treating her pretty well. She had made so many new friends, was managing her time well and was in good health. But despite all this, something nagged at her from way deep in her subconscious. Something was coming, it said. Something big. Bad or good, she couldn’t tell, but the feeling would linger wherever she went. Hana didn’t know how to bring it up to anyone, so she kept it to herself. Maybe she was starting to get a little stressed out with juggling school and work, and the weird feeling was just a symptom of fatigue. It was probably nothing.

 

But there’s a reason why people tell you to go with your gut feeling.


	12. Not Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ana decides to invite her beloved employees to a dinner at the diner after closing hours in a few days. Hana sees how unsatisfied Satya has been lately, and approaches her about it.

“Cheers luv, always nice to see a smiling face this early in the morning!” Officer Oxton thanked Hana one early morning as she took her regular order of coffee and a nice fresh muffin. “You wouldn’t believe how many grumpy faces are back at the station!”

“I can believe it. I mean, you should see the grumpy faces at school.” Hana chuckled, “Even when classes happen in the afternoon, there’s so many grumpy faces walking around.”

The good officer had to laugh at that. “I should tell you the stories about the police academy and the kind of faces I saw there every day.” She smiled before giving Hana a small wave. “Later then!”

Hana waved her out, and began moving around to finish off setting up the seating arrangements and tables. Sure enough, just as Satya said, folding those napkins would become second nature and what had once been an impossible task that would take her three times, if not more, as long as Satya to get them done she could now get them finished in a few quick folds.

The morning rush came, and went, along with Jamison who made his way through the diner with his usual brand of optimism. Hana had to watch Satya’s scrunched up face as Jamison made small, sweet talk to Mako through the server window calling him ‘darling sugar foot’ which almost had Angela spit out the water she’d been drinking at the time.

The fact Mako had blushed and mumbled an unheard answer just made Hana want to gush ‘awww’ extra loud but managed to contain herself.

Soon there was a down time, a quiet moment and Ana appeared from her office and glanced around the diner. Seeing it empty, she smiled, and clapped her hands together to get everyone’s attention. “Alright everyone, gather ‘round the counter. I have something to announce.”

Curiosity ran across on everyone’s faces as they all moved to sit by, or lean against, the counter. Ana smiled warmly at them all, before pulling out a small handful of envelopes from her pocket. “I’m hosting a get-together for all of you!” she announced, and proceeded to hand one envelope to each staff member. “Here are your invitations.”

Hana turned her envelope over a few times before sliding it open and slipped out the invitation. It was simple and homemade clearly, with her name handwritten on the top of it. A small get-together, plus one, for the staff of the diner, happening that Friday. Dinner would be catered, so Mako wouldn’t be stuck cooking it.

“Aw wow this is sweet!” Hana smiled, looking across to Ana. “So plus one, we get to invite anyone?”

Ana nodded. “That’s the idea.”

Hana could already imagine Ana bringing Reinhardt. Torbjörn would most likely bring his wife. Mako? She could see him bringing Jamison as his plus one (Satya would totally love that). She herself wondered if Lúcio would come. He had time, surely? Lifting her head, Hana saw Satya staring at the envelope as if it were an insult. Her upper lip curled, a frown on her face as Torbjörn began talking to Ana about the diner.

She paused before moving over to Satya, who was already moving to check that the napkins were aligned correctly. “So who do you want to invite?”

“Nobody.” Satya replied primly. “This gathering is a waste of resources and time for everybody.”

Hana was glad she and Satya had moved away from everyone else to talk; since she was pretty sure this kind of rudeness would have hurt Ana’s feelings. She frowned at the woman, who was now replacing some wrongly set sugar packets. “Why are you so miserable lately?” she asks. “Ever since your promotion you’ve been sullen and rude to everyone. Jamison can’t even walk through the door without you shooting daggers at him more than usual. You’ve worked so hard, now you’ve got your assistant manager position but you act as if you were demoted to mopping out the toilets. Is anything ever gonna be good enough for you?”

Only after she’d spewed all these words out did Hana realize what she said. She’d just told her assistant manager off as if she was some rude bitch in school. She stepped back, and opened her mouth to readily answer but Satya spoke first.

“No.” She muttered the answer, expression blank, before looking to Hana. “When you live a life of having nothing, you strive to have everything.”

Turning away, Satya steps outside. “I am taking a moment.” she says aloud, and before Ana can ask what’s wrong she’s out the door. 

Swearing under her breath, and knowing she owed Satya an apology, Hana follows after her. She didn’t have to look far, Satya wasn’t the type to go stand in a filthy alley way of course not so it wasn’t like she had vanished around the corner of the diner. She was just standing outside, playing with a stand of her hair that had fallen loose.

Hana stands there awkwardly for a second before clearing her voice. If Satya heard her, she did not acknowledge it. “Satya I’m sorry.” she gets to the point. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No.” Satya spoke sharply, yet in a tone tainted with a surprisingly hint of vulnerability. “You had every right to say that. I have been very abrupt and... rude. More so than usual. I am well aware of how everyone else sees me, I am not blind. Nor deaf.”

Hana didn’t know what to say to that, but it seemed as though Satya was not awaiting a prompt to continue, for she did so without it.

“You see.” she turned her head to look at Hana. “I grew up feeling as though I was never good enough. No matter what I did, it never met my expectations of myself or the world around me. I had plans, ever since the start. When I was merely eight I knew what college I wished to go to, what programs to study, everything. But no matter how hard I tried, no matter how many hours of study I put into my future it was never right. It was never correct. I am, clearly, a perfectionist.”

“I would never have known.” Hana replied, jokingly, sarcastically.

Satya scoffed. Her kind of laugh. “When I finally reached college I obtained my programs, my degree, yet when I left with my degree and those fancy photos they give you upon graduation I had no job offers for my field despite the hours I poured into my studies, and my work assistance programs. Now I am buried in student loan debt while working at a diner, and though I know Ana supports me I cannot help but feel like a failure. My life has never amounted to what I expected, what I calculated. So I suppose that is why I am so... well. Miserable.”

Hana didn’t really know what to say to that. She’d never tried to worry about life after school, and what it could do to you. Here is Satya who is clearly smart and talented in her field, but unlike Angela with her multiple jobs, she only had this position. The fact that she weighed her happiness on things she quite possibly couldn’t achieve was sad. But she didn’t want to give Satya pity because it was clear she didn’t want it.

“...you can’t let this define who you are, or what you’re worth.” Hana said after a few moments. “You’re smart. And talented. And you know how to deal with rude customers without lowering yourself to their levels. I find that really admirable.” She continued. “And I know it doesn’t mean much coming from a freshman in college herself, but I just wanted you to know that when I get a job, I’m as in control of it as you are here.”

Satya stood there a moment before she tilted her head a little, and snorted again. 

“You are an interesting girl, Hana.” She said.

“Thanks.” 

The two exchanged a moment of silence between them, Satya offered her a small, thin lipped smile before she turned and walked back into the diner. Hana exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding her breath, before returning to the diner. Everyone else had gotten back to work, and Hana galnced at Torbjörn who was, again, working on poor Bastion.

In an ideal world, maybe he would get it fixed in time for the dinner. That’d be nice.

She moved her way back to where she’d set her envelope down and checked the date. Just a few days away, a simple little dinner at the diner after hours. It seemed nice, but who could she ask? There were, genuinely, a few friends who might enjoy something like this. Efi was too young, and Zenyatta probably had some community work to do. Genji? She blushed at that idea, and decided not to. 

Grabbing her phone she pulled it out and began to type a quick text.

>Lúcio! Work is having a dinner, I can have plus 1!  
>Up for it?

She sent it off, and pocketed her phone once again. It’d be nice, taking her friend to her workplace after hours and show him what went on behind the scenes. Maybe he’d find it interesting! Hopefully.


	13. Distress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The good times won't last forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Things are about to get pretty dramatic up in here. Get ready!

It had been a few days, and Hana still hadn’t received a reply from Lúcio. He had earned some more gigs, so she assumed he would be busy. But at the same time, a simple “sure!” would’ve been better than nothing. Walking down the halls of her college main campus building while staring at her phone, Hana felt a nasty twist in her gut. 

 

Not paying attention to what was in front of her, Hana walked into someone from behind. With a small “oof!”, Hana fell to the ground, her phone skidding across the floor. 

 

“Oh, dear! Are you alright?”

 

As soon as she regained her composure, Hana looked up and realized she bumped into her teacher Mei. Mei had immediately turned around and helped her student up from the ground. She whirled around to see where Hana’s phone had went, and went for it as soon as she spotted the bright pink device. 

 

“S-sorry, I was...distracted,” Hana said as Mei handed her back her phone. She let out a groan when she noticed there was a small crack on the corner of its screen. Mei tilted her head as she noticed Hana didn’t make any eye contact when she said that. “Is something the matter, Hana? You look really disoriented. In class earlier, you also had a bit of a hard time staying focused.”

 

Hana faced her teacher with wide eyes, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “It’s nothing! I’m fine, really! Don't worry about me. It’s...uh...just getting to that time of the semester! Haha!”

 

Mei didn't seem convinced. “You can always come to me when you’re feeling overwhelmed, Hana. You don’t have to keep things bottled u-”

 

“I said I’m fine! I gotta go now, sorry!”

 

Before Mei could protest, Hana sprinted out the doors of the hallway and made her way outside. She wasn't in the mood to involve her teacher in whatever was on her mind.

 

\---

 

Hana didn't sleep well that night. She tossed and turned in bed, her mind clouded by negative thoughts. The last time she felt like this, it was when she was in high school and worrying about not being able to bring her grades back up before graduation. 

 

Just when her head decided to clear so she could focus on a decent rest, Hana heard her alarm clock go off. She groaned loudly as she slapped the alarm off. Sluggishly getting up from her bed, she dragged herself around her bedroom to get ready for work.

 

She picked up her phone and turned it on, squinting at the sudden brightness in the dark. Once it booted to the home page, she checked her messages.

 

Lúcio still hasn’t responded.

 

Hana was starting to get more worried, so she sent him another text:

 

          > Is everything ok?

 

Hopefully he would respond to that. If not, she would pay another visit to the local club and ask around. She’d better not get punched again, though.

 

Once she was ready, she left her dorm (making sure to lock the door behind her) and made her way to the parking lot to hop onto her moped. As she rode to work, Hana tried to clear her uneasy mind so she could mentally prepare herself for the day. It wasn't going to do her any good if the customers could tell she was distracted. Ana was really good at calming her down, maybe she could talk to her before the diner opened.

 

Hana pulled up in front of the door and parked her moped, and sure enough she saw Ana unlocking the front door. “Good morning!” Hana called out to her boss. Ana turned around and waved, and Hana noticed that the older woman looked just as tired as she felt. And yet, she still offered Hana that pleasant smile while she took off her riding gear.

 

“Morning, dear. You look like you didn’t get much sleep, will you be alright today?”

 

Hana sighed as she got off of her moped and grabbed her things. “Yeah, think I’ll be okay. Maybe a busy day at work is what I need to get me going.”

 

The two women walk inside the diner, and Hana goes straight into work while Ana heads into her office. Soon, Satya and Angela enter the front door. Angela stumbles in with a large pile of books in her arms while Satya walks in behind her, holding her purse. “Hi Hana!” the medical student says as she places the books onto the counter. “I can’t wait for Torbjörn’s children to come by later. Helping them with their science homework is my absolute favorite!” 

 

Satya smiled at Angela’s enthusiasm. “I believe being a tutor for those children suits you much better than that department store you worked at. You seem much happier, and you are quite a natural.”

 

Angela playfully slapped Satya on the shoulder, and stepped away to go find her apron. The friendly conversation between the other women perked Hana up a bit, and she felt even more at ease when Torbjörn appeared. “Oh, lass! I think today’s gonna be the day!” he bellowed.

 

“Today’s gonna be the day for what?” asked Hana.

 

“I think I finally know how to get Bastion back to it’s former glory! When I worked on the ol’ fella last night, it spurred to live for a short moment but then turned back off. But that means I’m close! I can feel it in these ol’ knees a mine.”

 

“When Bastion finally turns back on, you’ll have to let me pick the first song, okay?” the waitress said with a smile. Torbjörn replied with a cheery nod, then went about his way. Hana got back to work and grabbed the paper tablemats. Making her way around the tables, she did the usual task of setting them up with the proper dinnerware, just as Satya taught her and at a pace that nearly rivalled Angela’s. She had just finished setting up the last table when Mako finally strolled in. Hana leaned upwards from the table to greet him.

 

“Hey, Mako! How’s it...going…”

 

The cook didn’t even pause to acknowledge the small waitress; he kept his eyesight straight ahead and stormed into the kitchen, the doors moving back and forth aggressively from the sheer force of his movements. Hana stared at the entrance to the kitchen with confusion. 

 

What was his deal?

 

“ _ Well, whatever it is he’s upset about, maybe he’ll cool off a bit when Jamison comes around _ ,” Hana said to herself as she got started on brewing coffee.

 

And so she waited.

 

The day went on. Officer Oxton came by on her usual coffee run, but this time was accompanied by her wife Emily. Lena went on and on about the story of how the two women met each other while Hana made her coffee as well as a hot tea for Emily, and Emily shared embarrassing stories about the police officer that made Lena turn red and bury her face into the shoulder of Emily’s sweater. Hana waved goodbye as the two women left the diner hand in hand, the warmth of their love for each other feeling more intense around them than the aroma of their hot drinks. 

 

Turning around, Hana shot a quick glance into the window of the kitchen and noticed that Mako looked even more pissed off than he did when he initially came in. Hana moved away, not wanting to get caught in his weird death glare. She really hoped Jamison came by soon, Mako looked like he really needed someone to talk to. Or someone to kill really quickly.

 

So she continued to wait.

 

Jesse dropped by for a meal, and Hana chatted with him while she took care of his order. Jesse told her that he was also invited to Ana’s get together, and when Hana asked if he was bringing someone along the man tipped his hat with a smirk. “He’s a real beaut’,” the farmhand said. “Never met a man that gorgeous and straightforward in my life. Can’t wait for you to meet him.”

 

A sudden  _ crash! _ could be heard from the kitchen, and from instinct Hana quickly rushed inside to see what had happened. She looked around and saw a plate of food had fallen on the floor, and from the looks of it the food appeared to be what Jesse had ordered. Hana looked up at Mako with a quizzical look. “What happened, everything okay back here?”

 

Mako still wasn’t making eye contact with the smaller woman, and just replied with a small shrug. He was moving around the kitchen like nothing had happened. Hana crossed her arms, a glare slowly appearing on her face. “You’re remaking that order,  _ right _ ?” she asked sternly.

 

“Whatever.”

 

Hana huffed and stomped back out into the diner. For a guy that’s much older than her, Mako was sure acting like a child. 

 

Jesse noticed the change in her expression and reached out to her. “Y’alright over there, darlin’?” he asked. Hana regained her composure and reassured him with a nod. “Sorry about that, your food’s gonna be a little bit longer.”

 

Hana looked over at the spot behind the counter where Jamison usually sat, and was starting to get upset that he still hadn’t come by. What was going on? Does this have to do with Mako’s bad mood? She couldn’t even ask Mako if that was the case, so all she could do was wait some more.

 

And wait.

 

And wait.

 

And wait.

 

But he never came.

 

\---

 

Hana was going to get to the bottom of this. The diner had just closed for the day, and she was going to do the same damn thing she did when she went after Mako about Jamison’s favor. Once she was done with the last of her workload, she ran outside and scanned the streets for the cook. Sure enough, she saw the man walking down the road with his head down. She sprinted after him, yelling “Mako! Mako wait up!” as she went. The older man didn’t stop or turn to acknowledge her presence, so as she caught up to him she figured he either didn’t hear her or was ignoring her on purpose. 

 

“Hey! I said hold up!”

 

Looks like that did the trick. Mako stopped walking and turned around, giving Hana a glare that could set the entire town on fire. But Hana refused to let herself be intimidated, so she took a deep breath and got down to business.

 

“Do you know why Jamison didn’t come by today?” she asked. The man fully pivoted his body towards her, and crossed his thick arms while refusing to answer. That only made her even angrier.

 

“Does it got anything to do with your SHITTY attitude all of a sudden?” she pushed. But Mako’s demeanor didn’t falter, so she continued. “What’s your problem? Why won’t you just tell me instead of treating everyone at work like garbage? Is that why Jamison didn’t show up today? Did you treat HIM like garbage?”

 

That definitely struck a nerve. Mako’s mouth fell slightly open before closing again to form a tight line. His arms fell to his sides, and he whirled back around to resume walking home. Hana refused to take that, so she ran in front of him so they were face-to-face once again.

 

“Don’t you dare walk away from me! I wanna help you, just tell me what’s going on! Did something happen between you two? Jamison’s my friend y’know, I have a right to know what’s going on with m-”

 

“He’s broke.”

 

The waitress blinked, and took a few steps backwards. Hana watched Mako’s face go from seething rage to that of pure sadness. But her own face was riddled with doubt.

 

“Jamison’s broke? What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she asked, her hands balling into fists. 

 

“It means what it means,” Mako replied, looking down at the ground. Hana thought the man was going to cry. 

 

A sudden wave of emotions flew around her head, and she couldn’t think of anything else to say. She tried to figure out why Mako would say that, but she was too clouded by anger to think properly. 

 

If Mako wasn’t going to explain it to her, then Jamison surely would.

 

So she turned away and ran towards the garage.


	14. How the Other Half Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Jamison is a no-show throughout the day, coupled with Mako's shitty behaviour and fairly short explanation as to why he isn't around, Hana takes matters into her own hands and finds out her friendly Mechanic has been making some poor choices for good reasons.

The garage was still open at this time of day, Hana knew this to be true. After all, the place was open until six every day, and it was only past three now. It was still a bustling hive of activity as she approached, and if she’d been more aware of her surroundings and not so blinded by anger and frustration, she may have noticed more cars than normal lined up outside.

She entered the garage without stopping and made her way past the other mechanics, some who shot her looks of utter confusion. When she reached Jamison’s section though, she found it empty. He wasn’t there. And something in her gut told her that this fact was something Wrong, with a capital W.

“Looking for Jamie?” the man across the way asked as he pulled out a wrench that looked like it was better suited as a melee weapon in a video game.

Hana turned to look at him. “Y-yeah.” she tried hard to not show her slowly building sense of worry in her voice. “Where is he? Out back?”

“Ain’t here.” the man said as he turned to lift the lid on a truck he was working on.

“Not. Not here?”

“Nah. And that’s a first!” he commented as he pushed the wrench into the engine of the poor truck. “He’s been here every day since he started here. Kid even came in here sick as a dog once, ‘n wouldn’t leave even when he almost passed out. Crazy, that’s what he is.”

So. Mako had come to work angry, acting like a pissy little bitch, and not only was Jamison a no-show at the diner but he was a total no-show at his own work. Which, in of itself, was indeed very Wrong just like her gut instincts had told her. Something big had happened.

__

“He’s broke.”

Mako’s words echoed in her head. If he was broke, could he... would he... Hana pushed the sudden storm of ‘what ifs’ from her mind and looked to the man imploringly. “Please, I gotta see him. I need to visit him.”

“Ehhh....” the man looked at her. He remembered her from bringing that moped in, and a few times after that she’d swung by to just visit the weird kid with the bad choice of hair styles. He scratched the back of his neck. “I dunno...”

“Oh come on you guys know me!” Hana said, pressing a hand to her chest. “C’mon he's my friend and if he's so sick he can't make it into work something must be really wrong!”

He huffed and not too long after Hana was on her moped and speeding along (but still within the speed limit) the main road of town. As it turned out, he lived in what most considered the ‘bad’ part of town. Every town had a ‘bad’ part of town, the part across the train tracks, where houses weren’t in the best condition, where front yards had broken down vehicles, and weeds were more prominent in gardens than actual grass. She’d never been this side of town before.

The scrawled address on the back of the business card led her to an apartment that looked like it had been built during the 20’s. It certainly looked like it was about to fall and crumble to chunks of rocks and concrete. She checked the number on the card against the number above the door and saw it was indeed the correct address.

It didn’t even have security. She walked right into the lobby on the ground floor which, shockingly, didn’t have a lift. It was all stairs, leading upwards in a square spiral that went all the way to the 6th floor. Going by the numbers on display on the directory within the front door, Jamison lived on the fourth.

“Least he isn’t top level.” Hana muttered as she began to make her way up the stairs, which creaked dangerously under every step she took. “C’mon, don’t break on me.” she prayed, since falling through some steps wasn’t how she wanted to end her day.

She finally graced level six with her presence and through the doors on the floor she could hear a baby crying, a loud television playing a cop drama, music being practiced by someone who had no right to practice at all, and finally Jamison’s door. It looked like she could just give it a small kick and it would cave in on itself. He lived here? In this kind of place? Did it even have running water?

Reaching out her hand she knocked on the door.

At first there was no answer.

So she knocked again, a bit harder this time.

Hana was just about to open her mouth when she heard Jamison’s voice coming through the door. “A-alright, alright--” he sounded muffled. “Don’t open it I know I owe ya, I know I know,” sounds of a key turning the lock and it was pulled open slowly by the dirty blond. It didn’t open fully; he had one of those chain locks on the inside. But from what Hana could see through that crack? He looked like Hell. Bags under his already fairly baggy eyes, his complexion far paler than she’d ever seen, as well as sweat on his forehead. His eyes were red too. “I swear I’ll get ya me rent today I--”

He stopped. Seeing that Hana was not the person he thought he was, he blinked a few times. “...Hana?”

“Jamie.” Hana said, “Jamie are you alright? You didn’t come to the diner, and Mako’s acting real shitty, he said.. Ugh. Can I come in? Please?”

He stared at her blankly and, for a second, she thought he’d close the door on her. He kind of have a right to. She found out where he lived, barged in, did she really have a right to do this? The look he gave her was horrible; he looked like he was on the brink of crying but instead of shutting the door and leaving it shut he eased it shut, unlocked the link, and let her in.

His apartment was small. Even smaller than her dorm, and that said something. It was one room, with a tiny kitchen, a small fridge, and what was left in the room was one of those old timey beds that could be folded into the wall. It was out now, blankets strewn and screwed up. A laptop that looked like it was 10 years old was on the bed, the background a photograph Hana recognized as one of those he’d pinned at his work station. Him and Mako, from a filter photo booth.

There were no photographs on the walls. There wasn’t even a clock. Wallpaper looked about ready to peel off and walk right out the door and in the middle of all this, with rumpled clothes on the floor, and a lot of tissues accompanied by a faint coppery smell, was Jamison.

He looked even more dishevelled, and vulnerable in a way she’d never seen him. A top barely hanging from his narrow frame read ‘blond bombshell’, his boxers were tied into place, and his one good foot had a sock on it.

“...welcome to my humble abode,” he said as welcomingly as he could. “Me casa es su casa. Or. Somethin’.”

“Jamie,” Hana started, suddenly unsure as to how to breach this subject. He didn’t even ask her how he found his place. And wow he did not look good. Not at all. “You look like you’re about to collapse.”

“Hah yeah, ain’t... ain’t exactly in the best of sorts,” Jamison admitted as he moved to his fold out bed and sat down on it, reaching down to remove his peg leg and let it drop to the ground with a heavy thud. “Got myself in a bit of a mess.” he paused, as if realizing something, before looking up at her. “...what’re you doin’ here?”

“When you didn’t come into the diner I was a little worried. And when I found out you hadn’t even showed up to work, I got really worried. One of the guys was nice enough to tell me your address... hope it’s... not intrusive?” she asked.

“More than anyone else’s done.” Jamison replied, almost bitterly, but he seemed too tired to be even bitter. His eyes had glanced at the screen of his laptop, before reaching over and shut it with a click.

She frowned. “Mako was acting like a jerk at work.” Hana said, noticing his flinch. “Did...” she approached him, reaching a hand out to touch his shoulder. His skin was clammy. “Did he hurt you? He isn’t hurting you is he?”

Jamison blinked a few times, before looking up at her. He stared for a moment before he snorted, and shook his head. “Mako... nah, nah he ain’t hurt me. Hasn’t raised a hand to me. Nothin’ like that.”

Well that was a relief. Hana would have hated to have just stood by with that kind of knowledge. Mako seemed a really nice guy, at least until he got angry which is what he was now. She sat down besides the man on his bed, watching his face. “So what happened...?”

He stared back at her, as if not truly really seeing her, before his eyes moved their unfocused gaze to the lone window. “...got myself up shit’s creek without a paddle. Might have spent like... a lot of money lately. Couldn’t help it. He was in me life, never thought I’d have him or anyone like him and I spent money. All the stuff we’ve done, I’ve insisted on payin’ for. Bloke like him deserves the world and. I wanted to give it to him.”

Hana was silent, listening to him, not wanting to interrupt because he might clam up and not explain further.

“Last night he started realizin’ stuff and when we were out some guy approached us. Tried to shake me down for. Money I owe, and Mako got real defensive and scared the guy off then had me tell him everything and he...” Jamison’s eyes were turning red, tears welling and threatening to roll down his narrow face. “He called me a stupid kid. That I should know better ‘n I know I should and I told him why and he got even madder. The look in his eyes, Hana, it was like I’d... I don’t. I don’t know what but he made me feel like...” he lifted his one good hand and wiped at his eyes, his frame starting to shake. “...like everythin’ everyone’s ever called me was right. My parents, me family, those bastards at work, that every single terrible thing I’ve been told about what a waste I am is right and I got no right for bein’ here.”

“That’s bullshit.” Hana said bluntly, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a tissue and handed it to him. “I don’t know what your family, or what other people, have said but that’s bullshit. Nobody deserves to be spoken to like that, treated like you have. You’re legit one of the nicest guys I’ve met, and so what if you’ve made some mistakes. Everyone makes them!”

“I got nothin’.” Jamison said shakily, leaning forward and wiped at his eyes. “Maybe it’s what I deserve. People ringin’ for money. My folks not even acknowledgin’ me. Now M-M.. Mako won’t... he won’t...”

Hana moved and wrapped her arms around him, yanking the tall, lanky man into her arms in a tight embrace and it was like hugging a skeleton with no muscle. “Mako’s a jerk. But he does care. He does, that’s probably why he got so angry. He is older Jamie, and you know how old people are. Make one mistake they won’t let you forget but he loves you! You’ve changed him so much, he didn’t smile or talk to me at all before you two got together. You’re good for him, and he’s good for you too. I’ve seen the changes in you.” she pulled back, looking at him and having to fish yet another tissue for him as his nose was running. “You two are good for one another and you guys need to talk this out. And you can’t let him clam up on you like that. Or make you feel terrible about yourself. That’s not what boyfriends are meant to do.”

Jamison leaned forward a bit, groaning lowly, his face flushed and eyes still red. He shook his head a bit, before nodding, and wiped at his nose with his good hand as his prosthetic one was pressing itself tightly against his gut. “I-I know... f-first fight, y’know it... I don’t wanna lose him but I think I have already...”

“I can’t say if you have or haven’t,” Hana said quietly as she rubbed her hand up and down his back. Christ, she could almost feel his spine. “But you two have to talk. Do you have credit on your phone to call him?”

He shook his head. “Got nothin’.”

She pulled her phone out, and handed it to him and closed his hand around it. “Use mine. Call him. Now. I’ll sit here, if you want me to?”

Jamison stared down at the phone, before shaking his head. She opened her mouth to protest, to say he had to call him, but before she could he spoke first. “No, I want... want you here.”

Hana fell silent, before nodding her head, watching him. She wouldn’t push him; he’d clearly been pushed enough, so she glanced around the room a little. Though, honestly, there wasn’t much to look at. His closet was open showing an assortment of clothing, mostly crumpled, on the shelves and on the hangers. He didn’t have a television, or even a radio. His small kitchen was bare in the essentials; sure there was a fridge but no kettle, no microwave, and his sink looked like it hadn’t been touched in awhile.

Nor were there photos on the walls. Not a single image of anyone. No family photos, none of himself, or even his work place. Did the landlord not allow pictures on the walls? Or did Jamison feel as though he didn’t need any up? He’d mentioned his family turning their backs on him. Was it because he was gay? She felt sick that that stuff still happened to people, and good people like Jamison. It seemed he’d made some mistakes, but money was money. There was always ways around that, banks had money, and he was a hard worker too. Shouldn’t he ask for a raise? No sick days, happy customers, high request...

“Mako...?”

Jamison’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she turned her head to see him with the phone to his good ear.

“Y-yeah. Yeah, it’s me...” his voice was small, quiet. He almost didn’t sound like himself. But she sat there with him, throughout the entire one sided conversation she could hear, there if he needed her. And if it looked like it would go bad she would so pull that phone out of his hand and talk to Mako again, even if she knew this wasn’t any of her business. Like she’d told Mako on the street; Jamison was a friend of hers and she wasn’t the type of person to turn her back on a friend in need.

And Jamison really needed a friend right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof this one was a heavy one to write, but I managed to get it out of the park just a few hours after the last chapter was posted. I hope this one helps calm the storm of concern sparked by the last chapter, if a little! ~Sassy


	15. Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life is about overcoming hurdles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall, probably: THIS IS THE THIRD CHAPTER THIS WEEK SLOW DOWN
> 
> me and Sassy: yeah lol

Hana’s moped had just enough space to fit the both of them. But Hana didn’t have a spare helmet, so she let Jamison wear hers for the ride over to Mako’s apartment. Hopefully she wouldn't drive by any police officers.

 

Jamison told her where to go, and eventually they pulled up in front of a brick apartment building. Jamison clicked on the buzzer to announce who they were and who they were visiting, and the front desk let them in. As they stepped into the lobby, Jamison gestured to the elevator. “He lives on the top floor,” he said as he pressed the button on the wall. As the two friends waited for the elevator, they stood by one another in nervous silence. Hana wasn't sure how this was going to play out, but if Mako agreed to see him in person then that's a good sign, right?

 

The elevator doors slowly opened, and they stepped inside. Hana pressed the button for the top floor, and the doors closed in front of them. As they ascended, the pair stayed silent as they were still unsure of what would come of the situation.

 

When they reached the top floor, they stepped out and Jamison led Hana down the hall. He then paused in front of a door with the number 574, indicating that it was where Mako lived. Jamison knocked on the door, stood back and waited. Hana gave him a quick pat on the back for reassurance, and he returned the gesture with a thumbs up. They heard footsteps from the other side of the door, and then sounds of locks being opened. The door opened, and Mako appeared in front of them. The three were awkwardly silent; Mako stared at Jamison, Jamison stared back at Mako, and Hana’s eyes darted back and forth the two men. Eventually, Mako let out a small sigh and opened the door wider so Jamison could walk through. Before he did, Jamison turned to Hana and muttered a quick “Thanks”. She smiled back at him, and watched as he disappeared into Mako’s apartment. Interestingly, Mako didn't immediately fall back into his home. He stepped out into the red carpeted hallway in front of Hana, and left his door slightly ajar. Hana looked up at the cook in curiosity, and Mako cleared his throat.

 

“I...owe you an apology,” he said sincerely, folding his hands in front of him. “You were right about how I was today. Wasn't fair to you.”

 

Hana definitely wasn't expecting that.

 

“There was... a lot on my mind. Obviously. But you helped me realize some things.”

 

The young waitress smiled at that. “Y’know Mako, back there I said Jamie was my friend, but I would like to be your friend too,” she said.

Mako snorted. “If you didn’t want to be my friend, you wouldn’t have ran after me like that and told me off.”

 

Hana’s eyes went wide. She never really saw it that way, but she supposed it was true. Mako turned to head back into his apartment, but before he closed the door he faced Hana one more time. “You do a lot more for folks ‘round here than I think you realize,” he said. 

 

The door close, and then she was standing alone in the hallway. 

 

Curious, Hana leaned her head against the door to listen in. While muffled, she could hear the two men talking calmly. It was probably really rude of her to be eavesdropping like this, but she had to be sure. Hana then heard sound of boisterous laughter, and smiled.

 

Yeah. They were gonna be just fine.

 

\---

 

When Hana walked out of the apartment complex, the text message notification sound on her cell phone went off. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she tapped it and the screen read a few  messages from Lúcio. Finally, a response! The messages read:

 

          > Hey! Real sorry for leavin you hangin like that. While ridin around my phone had died, and turns out somebody nabbed my charger! 

 

          > sure enough nobody in my crew had the same phone as me so I couldnt borrow one lol

 

          > but I’d love to come with you tomorrow! What time is it at?

 

Hana sent him a picture of the invitation with all the information, and was just about to put her phone away when she received another text notification. But this one wasn’t from Lúcio.

 

“ _ Give me a call when you get a chance _ ,” the message read in her native tongue. 

 

Hana’s smile grew wider at the name of the sender.

 

\---

 

Now at her dorm, sitting in her tiny living space and in her pajamas, Hana pressed the video chat application on her phone and selected a number. As the phone connected, she stared at her own face for a moment until the feed showing her face turned small and moved to the bottom right corner of the screen. The rest of the screen was occupied by a video feed of her father.

 

“Hello, Hana. How’s everything? Glad you have a longer weekend?” he said with a grin.

 

“Hi, dad! Today hasn’t exactly been relaxing for me, though,” Hana replied.

 

“And why’s that?”

 

“Well, in general it’s been a really stressful time for some of my friends. But I try to be there for them as best as I can. Seems to be working out okay so far,” she replied, adjusting her seated position on the old couch. “But Lúcio got back to me about the party tomorrow so I’m really excited for that!”

 

Her dad laughed. “Oh yes, I remember you telling me about that. I’m really glad you’ll have a friend with you. I hope you two have a good time.”

 

“This party will be such a nice break from all the chaos that’s been going around lately,” Hana said with a deep sigh.

 

Her father’s face twisted into an expression of concern. “Hana, are you alright?”

 

“Yeah I am! It’s just...well…”

 

Hana was used to living alone in her small dormitory. She was surrounded by new friends, people that really cared about her and enjoyed her company. She worked really hard to get to where she is, and although the road was hard and she didn’t start college in the fall semester like most people would, she still succeeded regardless. But all of this couldn’t change one very real fact.

 

“I miss being home and playing Starcraft with you, dad.”

 

Understanding, Mr. Song smiled again. “I miss you too, Hana. But I know you better than anyone. You’ve pulled yourself out of worse messes, and I know you’ll be alright. Keep your head up, and continue to work hard.”

 

“Thanks, dad. Say hi to mom for me, okay?”

 

“Sure thing. Good night, Hana.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small note: I wasn't sure how to go about it but Hana and her dad were conversing in Korean. I'm not one to just grab translations from Google, that seemed inappropriate. So it's implied.
> 
> But anywho, next chapter is the big party at Fareeha's!! It's gonna be so much fun!!


	16. Coming Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well the dinner is finally here but I hope you guys weren't hoping on everything to go perfectly fine. Because life throws you a bunch of curve balls, and this party has a fair few of them.
> 
> This one was so big that both me and Vickri wrote it together rather than our usual thing of writing a chapter each!

Hana awoke feeling refreshed and far perkier than she thought she would after yesterday’s dramatic episode. The talk with her dad had really helped her gather herself up again, ready to tackle the day ahead. That, and the party that evening. Shit! Had she even picked out anything nice to wear to it? What kind of dress code was this, anyway?

Stumbling out of her bed and almost tripping over a bunny plush, Hana picked up the invitation that she’d stuck to her pinboard above her desk. It didn’t say that you had to dress fancy, or formally, but of course Hana wasn’t about to show up wearing some tacky jeans and a t-shirt. Ana was being nice enough to put this whole thing on for her workers, and friends too, so she’d do her best to look her best for her sake.

And maybe to show off a little but only a small, tiny, little bit.

Even if the party wasn’t until that afternoon, Hana had worked through her wardrobe and picked out something to wear before even getting ready for the day itself. Nothing too fancy, just a nice blue pleated skirt that went down past her knees, a nice white long sleeved top, lacey white socks that would look cute with her blue sneakers and match her skirt quite nicely if she did say so herself.

Topped off with a pale pink bunny backpack she’d toss her phone and other important things into.

With her outfit picked out, Hana sped up and got herself all ready for work and was hurrying out to her moped not too long after. She arrived at the diner only a few minutes after Ana had opened it up and she greeted the older woman, as well as Satya, Angela, and of course Torbjörn. She was waiting a little though, watching the door as she set out the napkins, awaiting Mako to arrive.

She wouldn’t be too nosy but she was hopeful his attitude today would be an improvement over yesterday.

Sure enough, just after Officer Oxton had come by for her early morning coffee and treats, in came Mako. Maybe a little later than he normally did but it wasn’t like it was hours later. Just around fifteen minutes. She perked up, smiling at him in a hopeful manner.

Seeing her, Mako pauses and offers her a small, slight smile. The best anyone could get out of the cook, given current circumstances. Hana opened her mouth but he held up his hand. “Jamison is taking the day off work today. Going to take some ‘Me’ days, get his affairs in order and stay with me till he’s comfortable to go back to his place.”

“Have you seen his place?” Hana asked.

“No. He said he didn’t want me seeing it.” Mako moved past the counter, pausing before pushing the swinging doors open to vanish into the kitchen. “...is it bad?”

“It’s not great.” She admitted.

Mako just silently nodded his head before stepping into the kitchen, grabbing his pink apron and getting ready for the early morning rush. Sure enough the regular customers made their appearances, though Jamison was naturally a no-show again but he was most likely sleeping in for the first time in ages. Maybe he’ll show up later? She hoped he’d still show up to the get together, it’d be nice to see him outside of work and all that drama.

Jesse made his regular appearance, and this time his meal wasn’t delayed due to Mako dropping it on the floor like yesterday.

“So, y’all ready for the party tonight?” he asked as he sipped from his hot ‘cuppa Joe’.

“Mm!” Hana nodded as she wiped down the counter. “I can’t wait, I’ve been looking forward to it all week. I can’t wait to see your boyfriend tonight, I’m super curious about him!”

“Well I could spoil the surprise.” Jesse offered.

“What, no! That takes the surprise out of it!”

Jesse snorted at her reasoning, but shrugged. “Well if that’s how you want it that’s fine by me. He ain’t exactly the most out there guy, but I’m sure he’ll have fun tonight.”

She hoped so. She hoped everyone here had a good time tonight since it seemed as though everyone needed it. Angela was still a little stressed over losing one of her jobs, and while it was apparent she was happy to tutor Torbjörn’s children she still had her worries over medical school. Satya, while she had loosened up if a tiny small fraction, needed a night to let her hair down both literally and figuratively. And poor Torbjörn was daily tearing himself up and getting frustrated with poor Bastion who still sat against that wall of the diner unable to play a single tune.

Thankfully the day passed without any cause for drama, or dropped plates for that matter.

Zarya even made an appearance towards the end of the day, picking up a few muffins, claiming she was going to drop them off to Mei and maybe the two could have a tea break together before her wife’s next class that afternoon.

“Classes are not getting too much for you, are they?” Zarya asked of Hana as she handed her the exact change.

“Nope,” Hana replied honestly as she opened the till and dropped the money in. “I like Mei’s classes, but you probably hear that a lot from her students huh?”

Zarya chuckled. “Mei is good teacher! She inspires many to take more interest in the world we live in. Must be good to planet, otherwise what are we left with?” the pink haired woman asked as she grabbed the bag containing her muffins.

“Space?”

“Bah, is too cold in space. And who knows if space is not already occupied!” Zarya pointed out, “May have aliens, and do not even stop to think of all those nasty black holes up there!”

“Oh yeah, kinda forgot about those things...” if she thought about it, space was more than a little terrifying. Thank God she’d never go up into it.

Zarya bid her farewell, said she’d say hello to Mei for her, and was gone.

Before too long it was closing time, and the regular clean up was going on. Angela was clearing the tables, Satya quietly buffed along the counter before moving onto grab her favourite mop to clean up any filth she hadn’t picked up throughout the day. Mako was working in the kitchen as he always did, making sure it was clean and spotless for the next day since he was not the type of man to cook in a filthy kitchen.

And where was Torbjörn while all of this was going on? Where he was normally found when he had a spare minute... working on Bastion. The old Jukebox with its decorative birds had continued to be a fairly stubborn piece of machinery no matter how much time and effort Torbjörn poured into it.

Ana left her office and made her way over to her old friend, folding her arms over her chest. “Torbjörn, you and this Jukebox should get married by this point. You’ve paid it too much attention, I’m sure Elsa wonders about your fixation with it.” she teased.

“Nonsense!” Torbjörn’s voice came from the insides of the monster. “She knows what I’m like when it comes to machines.”

“I’m sure. Are you even going to pause during our dinner tonight to come over and tinker with Bastion a bit more?” Ana asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

“Of course not,” the short man replied as he waved his prosthetic hand at her dismissively. Or in her general area, as he couldn’t really see her as he was half hidden in the Jukebox. “I’m not that much of a workaholic.”

Ana opened her mouth to reply but stopped short as the old Jukebox suddenly made a new noise she hadn’t heard it make before. By now, being around Bastion as long as she had, Ana and pretty much everyone in the diner knew the plethora of noises it would make. Low grinding, gurgling, and faint beepings of a machine struggling to play an old record that was most likely older than even Mako himself.

But this time Bastion made a new, sharp noise, and Ana turned her gaze to the thick plastic that protected the records inside. A tiny arm that hadn’t moved in a very long time but had been kept greased and oiled accordingly suddenly moved. It jerked as smoothly as an old piece of metal could and it grabbed a small record. It turned and twisted, pulling out the small record and set it down onto the turnstile.

And for the first time in collective memory, Bastion played a song.

Everyone more or less abandoned their jobs to hurry over and witness, in their own special way, history happening. Hana had no idea what song it was and had to lean in to read the name of it from the front of the machine, seeing it was something called ‘I’ll be Home’ by some guy named Pat Boone. She’d never heard of him.

“I cannot believe it.” Satya said at last, eyes on the old machine.

Torbjörn looked like he’d break down in tears by this point. He reached into a back pocket and pulled out a plaid handkerchief and dabbed it against his face as the old song filled the diner with a soft crooning tone of a man who was most likely dead. “Ach,” he sighed. “This was played at my wedding...”

“This was probably at my _grandparents_ ’ wedding.” Mako huffed.

“Oh shut up!” Torbjörn scolded, though he clearly didn’t mean it as Mako had continued to be one of the quietest members of the diner’s crew.

“You did it, Torbjörn!” Ana patted the short man on the back, smiling widely. “You really did it! It only took several years but, well. Better late than never as they say.”

Hana couldn’t help but feel that maybe this was a bit of a sign. That this old machine everyone had given up as broken, something that would never work properly again had finally found its ‘voice’ again. Hopefully it was a good sign, since that’s what it certainly felt like. “So is Bastion going to play all night?”

“Don’t want to wear it out as soon as it got to working,” Torbjörn said as he moved up to the machine, pulling out yet another rag from his back pocket and buffed the front of it as the songs began to change and Bastion played yet another song that Hana hadn’t heard of before. “We’ll give it a rest. Hopefully when we turn it on Monday morning it’ll still be working.”

“Hopefully.” Ana smiled at the old Jukebox.

-

Hana had seen the diner fairly busy throughout her time working there, but it just felt extra busy now. And it was alien being in here and not serving anyone whatsoever. Yet here she was, seven o’clock in the evening, seeing her co-workers and their friends dressed in fairly smart casual clothing unlike what she normally saw them in.

But not everyone was here yet.

“I should come round here more often,” Lúcio said as he looked around the diner. He had swung by Hana’s dorm to pick her up, so he hadn’t had to show up solo. “This place has a real nice look to it and that Jukebox looks like it’s older than my dad or something.” he added, glancing over at old Bastion who indeed was still going strong and playing the first song that Hana could recall as it was one of the more popular Elvis singles.

“Yeah you should!” Hana said, glancing at the door as it was pushed open and she brightened up. It was Mako and, sure enough coming in after him was Jamison who looked a lot better than he did the last time she saw him. He was actually cleaned up, his blond hair combed and not sticking up in various directions, and he just looked well rested.

“Wow okay that’s one huge guy.”

“Shh!” Hana elbowed him playfully. “That’s Mako, the cook. And that’s Jamison, I told you about them remember?”

“G’day Hana!” Jamison seemed to be his old regular self as he bounded over towards the two, Mako coming up behind him. “Ta again for the other day, I’m gonna be the one owin’ you a favor now!”

She scoffed and shook her head. “You don’t owe me anything.”

“Bull.” he replies bluntly before looking to Lúcio with a curious glance.

“Oh! Jamison, Mako, this is Lúcio. My plus one for the evening.” she grinned.

Jamison blinked a few times before clapping his hands together once. “Lúcio! Like that singer guy who does those tunes with the records and likes frogs, yeah?”

“Yeah that’s me,” Lúcio replied. That had to be one of the more interesting ways of describing him and his work he’d ever heard.

“Love ya work man, got real good bass. Love me a good song with good hard bass in it.”

“Thanks, I try.” he chuckled.

Soon enough it seemed as though everyone was here. Reinhardt was as large and positive as always as he’d made his way in, greeting everyone with a loud ‘HELLO!’ before all but smothering Torbjörn with glowing praise at getting Bastion working again. Just as Hana had expected, Torbjörn had brought his lovely wife with him and she was gorgeous. Tall, blonde, and a kind face. But Hana couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for her, since she’d had eight children. Regardless, it didn’t show. She looked very young, and Hana wondered if dermatologists would hate her for this.

“Good evening,” she smiled when she and Hana were finally introduced by her husband. “It’s so nice to meet you Hana.”

“You too!” Hana nodded.

“Elsa here keeps herself busy at the water company in town,” Torbjörn explained. “Makin’ sure all the pipes in town are up to date or we get no business with burst pipes.”

“Elsa?” Hana asked.

“Yes, Elsa.” Elsa replied. “And you have my permission to make one ice joke about my name, but just one.”

Finally Jesse appeared, and it seemed as though he cleaned up very nicely. For once he wasn’t wearing an open work shirt, and he was even without his patented cowboy hat! He was holding the door open and the last person Hana expected walked in to join him. That last person was Mr. Shimada, her math teacher from college. He was Jesse’s boyfriend?

He seemed to spot her all but immediately and she saw him stiffen for a second before Jesse took his arm gently and guided him towards the other more ‘adult’ party members rather than taking him right to the twenty somethings.

“Oh my God, the cowboy’s dating my teacher.” Hana whispered to Lúcio through clenched teeth.

“The math guy who’s always got an arrow up his ass?” Lúcio asked.

“Yes!”

“Hrm. He should work on making his boyfriend a bit happier then, if you know what I mean.”

“Lúcio oh my God.” but if she was really honest with herself, she had to agree. Jesse had to romance this math teacher hard so he’d go easy on his students if just a little bit.

“Satya!” Ana, clothed in a lovely blue dress, approached the front doors as her assistant manager came walking in. Satya wore a lovely purple dress, oh what was it named again? Something from India, Hana was unfortunately drawing a blank but it had a lovely piece that folded over one of her arms and it complimented her complexion wonderfully. “I’m so happy to see you here, and--oh! You’ve brought Sanjay!”

Satya was not alone, not like Hana had thought she would be. She was accompanied by a young man with the same dark complexion as hers, and he had a fairly handsome profile. His hair was hidden beneath a turban that was a soft eggshell white which matched his outfit, making his dark skin stand out even more.

“I didn’t know Satya was dating someone...?” Hana asked, mostly to herself.

“She isn’t.” Mako, who had been crossing behind her to join Jamison at their table. “And don’t go asking Satya that. She’ll chew you out worse than when you put a fork in the wrong placement.”

Yikes, she did not want to tempt that kind of punishment. But she quietly watched the two as they interacted with Ana, and when Reinhardt made his way over to greet the two with his usual brand of boisterous positivity, she almost saw Satya curl into herself a little by his loudness. Sanjay too seemed to flinch, but made as much small talk as you could with a towering mailman.

“Hey,” a voice suddenly spoke up behind Hana and she spun around to see the brown young woman she’d seen Gabe sit with in the diner there. She wore a nice black dress, and her long hair falling loosely around her shoulders. “How you doing, girl? Haven’t seen you much. My fault, you know how it is, work being work.”

“Oh uh, yeah!” Hana piped up, recalling her name. Sombra, right? Was she here with Gabe? She hadn’t seen her come in with him.

“But it’s good for a girl to get some down time yeah?” Sombra asked, glancing to Lúcio who was by the counter, talking to Jesse. Hopefully not about being a better boyfriend. “Heard you had some down time that ended with an injury tho.”

“You heard about that?” she asked, weakly.

“Word gets around. And I am pretty hands on when it comes to info.” she replied. “Hope you’re all good now?”

“Yeah, I’m fine! I was fine the day after, and I’m fine now. Take more than a punch to knock me out.” Hana grinned, as it was true. “Don’t mess with me.”

“Duly noted.” smiled Sombra.

Hana looked behind Sombra to see where Gabe was, and sure enough the man with his signature beanie hat was engaged in a lighthearted conversation with Ana and Reinhardt. The mailman had noticed Hana staring, and smiled as he waved for her to come over. “Hana, my dear! Care to hear a story about the good ol’ days?” he asked her as she joined the group of old friends.

“Sure thing! Your stories are always really cool. What’s this one about?”

“It’s one right before I left for war!” said Reinhardt. “The night before my flight, these two along with Torbjörn and Jack surprised me with a small party at my favorite bar. We drank so much, I still can’t remember how the night ended!”

“Gabe and I had to carry you out to our van,” said a voice. “At one point you jerked so hard we fell onto the ground on top of you.”

Everyone spun around and saw that Jack had arrived, smiling and dressed in a dark blue suit. Everyone but Gabe said their hellos, but judging by his small smirk he wasn’t about to start a quarrel. “It’s some sort of miracle that Reinhardt made his flight the next morning,” Gabe told everyone. “I’m sure you had one hell of a headache the whole time.”

It was really nice. Hana had heard all about the drama between Jack and Gabriel, and to see them now standing next to each other and sharing memories with their other friends must’ve meant so much to Ana. Torbjörn had made his way over at some point, and soon the five friends were reminiscing about other tales from the past and laughing amongst each other. Had Ana’s daughter been alive, Hana was sure that Fareeha would’ve been really happy to see everyone getting along and being happy. She was about to leave them be and rejoin Lúcio when Reinhardt stopped her.

“Oh, I do not believe I ever told you, but when I went into the service, I was actually training alongside Mako!” he said to the young waitress. Hana’s eyes went wide, and placed her hands on her face. “Mako was there too?! No way!” she exclaimed. “I mean, I can’t say I’m surprised he never told me, but wow!”

“Ah, the poor lad,” Reinhardt said. “He wasn’t always such a reserved fellow. But he saw quite a lot during the short time he was with us. Mako left way before I did, and hadn’t been the same since. He wanted nothing to do with the military afterwards, and I can't say I blame him. Some ugly things happen in the background that you all back home don't hear about.” He and Hana turned and looked across the diner at where Mako was, seated at one of the tables with Jamison, Lúcio and Sombra. Reinhardt chuckled, getting a confused reaction out of Hana. “I’m very happy for him, though. He almost seems like his old self again. Must be because of the lanky boy he’s with. Glad I convinced Ana to let him work here, otherwise he may have never spoken to anyone ever again.”

Hana’s smile turned upside down when she noticed Reinhardt’s face turn downcast. “He used to talk all the time to little Fareeha, though. When she made the decision to join the army, we both sat her down and talked to her about the good, the bad, and the ugly. Mako talked even more than me!”

Reinhardt sighed as Hana patted his arm sympathetically. “It was when she died that he stopped talking altogether. That’s what war does to us; it gives nothing and takes everything.”

Ana walked over to Hana and Reinhardt, and the two noticed a slight disappointed look on her face. “I just got off the phone with Angela,” she said. “Unfortunately she has a lot on her plate tonight and cannot make it.”

“Aw that really sucks,” Hana replied with a pout. “This party would’ve been a nice break from all the studying she’s had to do. At least she isn’t failing anymore. She brought like, piles of extra credit to work yesterday!”

Ana nodded in agreement. “I even offered to let her take a week off from work so she could focus on her exams, but the girl is very stubborn. But at the same time, it’s an admirable tra-”

_“You know damn well that was a crock of shit!”_

The entire diner went quiet at the sound of Gabe’s shouting, and the party goers brought their attention to the center of the diner where he and Jack were currently positioned. Jack looked equally as furious, and angrily pointed his finger at Gabriel’s face. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you Gabe, none of that was my fault. You’re acting like a spoiled brat!”

“Oh, _I’m_ the spoiled brat? This coming from the guy who literally had everything fall into his lap without hesitation?”

Ana put her face into her hands. “No,” she muttered into her palms. “Not now. Not again.”

“Honestly you two,” Satya said as she stepped between the two older men. “This isn’t the time for arguing. If you are going to cause a commotion, take it outside.”

“Everything will be fine just as soon as he admits he chose his job over our friendship!” Gabe yelled. “Jack told me himself that his promotion was a load of bullshit but he took it anyways!”

“I didn’t have a choice!” Jack retorted. “Either I took it or they were going to let me go, did you seriously expect me to not go ahead with it and lose all that I worked for?”

“I _expected_ you to stand up for me!”

“Please, it’s all in the past now!” Ana shouted. “Why can’t you two just let this go?”

Gabe reared his head towards Ana, his heated glare still intact. “You’re no better. You took his side during the whole ordeal. You always do!”

“Don’t you _dare_ bring Ana into this!” Reinhardt bellowed, placing a protected hand onto his beloved’s shoulder. “She worked too hard to bring you two back together, and this is how you repay her?!”

“I never asked her to get into our business,” Jack snapped. “Even if she DID take my side, I don’t need her help. All of you should’ve just minded your damn business because CLEARLY things were never going to be the way they used to.”

“What, y’can’t just pretend to like each other til the party’s over, then go kill each other afterwards?” Jamison piped up with a shrug.

“You keep your mouth shut,” Jack said with his fists clenched. “Unless you’re lookin’ for me to put a fist between the eyes, too.”

Mako shot up from his seat, shooting a death glare at the bitter white man. “One more comment outta you, and I’m tossing you both out myself,” he said lowly.

Gabe laughed sarcastically. “Same ol’ Jack, picking a fight with anyone and everyone!”

Soon the entire diner erupted into yelling and shouting, mostly consisting of Gabe and Jack continuing their back and forth insults while others tried to console them and get them to calm down. Though unfortunately, Gabriel and Jack’s intensity seemed to only make the atmosphere incredibly heated and tense. Even Jesse who'd been sitting back watching all this with Hanzo broke into the arguments, though his words were lost to Hana as he spoke at Gabe who appeared to scoff. Meanwhile, Hana snuck her way over to where Lúcio was, still sitting at a table and staying out of the whole mess.

“What should we do?” Hana whispered. “Things were going so well, and now everybody’s fighting. This is awful!”

“I know!” Lúcio whispered back. “But whatever we do, let’s promise afterwards not to be as obnoxious as those guys.”

“Agreed,” Hana nodded. “So, you got any ideas?”

Lúcio shrugged. “Kinda wanna wait it out and hopefully they’ll cool down, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen anytime soon. Maybe distract them by going into the kitchen and banging pots and pans together?”

Hana pondered for a moment. “That could work, although I don’t know if they’ll hear the banging over-”

“What the hell is going on here?”

Once again, everyone went quiet. They were so busy screaming at each other that no one had noticed the front door of the diner open, and a voice Hana couldn’t recognize had spoken over them. Hana couldn’t see who it was from where she and Lúcio were located, so she stretched upwards to check. To her surprise, Hana saw Angela standing there with a concerned expression on her face. But wait, Angela was here? That can’t be right. She said she wasn’t going to make it. The other weird thing was that the voice that had spoken didn’t belong to her. No, Hana began walking forward through the frozen crowd and noticed Angela’s hands attached to the handlebars of a wheelchair.

And in that wheelchair, was a person she had never expected in her life to meet.

“Sheesh, it’s like I never even left,” the person spoke again, with a smile on her face.

Hana stared at the woman in the wheelchair, then twisted around to look at the photo by the wall clock, then back at her again. This was real. This was happening.

Fareeha Amari was home.


	17. Take It Down a Notch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Priorities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't seem to catch a break, now can she?

The entire diner was dead silent. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. No one knew what to say, but it couldn't be helped when someone who was long thought to be dead randomly decides to show up. But while no one was speaking verbally, the different facial expressions on the partygoers’ faces spoke volumes. A mixture of shock and confusion presented themselves to Fareeha and Angela.

 

The silence was broken when Ana began to step forward. “This…” she started to say. “...is this real? Are you...real?”

 

Fareeha nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. “Yes mother, it’s me. I’m here.”

 

Ana practically collapsed in front of Fareeha when she went to kneel in front of her wheelchair, sobs wracking her old frame as she buried her face into her daughter’s lap. “They told me you were gone! I was just starting to believe my only child was never coming back!”

 

Fareeha leaned down to embrace her mother, whispering words of reassurance to her while she continued to cry. Reinhardt, overwhelmed by the scene in front of him, yelled in triumph and rushed over to join the reunited parent and child. He got down by Ana and held them both. Gabe and Jack shared a look with one another, looked down for a moment, then made their way over themselves. Jack stood behind Reinhardt and gave Fareeha a calm “welcome home” while Gabriel quietly knelt by Ana, unable to form words. Torbjörn was all out bawling at this point, wailing unintelligible garble as he ran over to join the reunion huddle. Jesse stepped forward with a big smile on his face, standing over Reinhardt and Torbjörn while he gazed at Fareeha. Fareeha leaned back upwards and took her time addressing each member of her diner family.

 

Hana and the other onlookers could only stand by and watch. Lúcio walked over to Hana and placed a hand on her back. Satya and Sanjay approached the two friends, Satya’s eyes looking surprisingly red. “I do not mean this in a disrespectful way, but I think it's best if you two go,” she whispered. “We will properly introduce you on Monday.”

 

Hana and Lúcio nodded, completely understanding of the situation. Sanjay smiled at them, reaching out his arm for a handshake. “It was still very nice to be acquainted with you both despite the way things turned out,” he said as Lúcio returned the gesture. “I hope to see you again soon!”

 

Hana also got to shake Sanjay’s hand, and took one last look around the diner before they headed out. Elsa had joined Torbjörn to console her husband who was still in crying hysterics, and Sombra stood at a distance behind Gabriel with a blank expression. She turned and noticed Hana was watching her, and gave her a small smile and reassuring wave before bringing her attention back to Gabe. Lastly, Hana looked for Mako who was surprisingly not by Fareeha’s side, despite the story Reinhardt had shared with her earlier on. She found him way in the back with Jamison, the blond leaning against his boyfriend and holding his hand while Mako looked as if he saw a ghost. Hana felt that it wasn't her place to ask, so she stepped away and let Satya guide her and Lúcio away. 

 

Satya gestured them through the kitchen so they could leave through the back door. Satya said she would let Ana know they left, and bid them a good night. Stepping out into the chilly night air, Hana and Lúcio began walking to her dorm under the bright streetlights.

 

“Wow...I’ve been to my share of parties, but I have NEVER been to one that ended like that,” Lúcio said with his brows high in the air. “It’s like, everytime we’re at a big event together something wild happens!”

 

Hana wasn't sure how to respond. She was still staring at the ground while they walked side by side, trying very hard to process what had just happened. Her boss’ daughter that everyone thought was dead just randomly shows up on the diner’s doorstep! But the reactions Fareeha had gotten...Hana saw that she was a very special person. She had to be, if Ana had renamed the diner after her.

 

“Hana? You listening?”

 

The waitress’ head shot up, and she stopped walking. “Oh, Lúcio I'm sorry, this has just been a really weird night an-”

 

Lúcio laughed and placed a hand on each of her shoulders. “Whoa hey, hey! It’s okay! I get it. I was with you, remember?”

 

She took a deep breath, and let out a troubled sigh. “I’d better hurry home, all of this made me really tired. Plus it looks like I won’t be working this weekend, so I think I’ll bury myself into catching up on homework.”

 

The pair began walking again, and Lúcio tried to think of other ways to distract Hana from her troubled thoughts. “Been awhile since your last video game stream,” he stated. “How’s about I swing by tomorrow night and we go a few rounds?” 

 

That managed to perk up Hana a little, but then she looked around really quick and took the time to notice just how dark it was outside. “Hey, Lúcio, where did you say you lived again?” she asked the DJ. “Oh, uh...are you worried about me getting home? Genji just got a new car, I can just call and ask him to pick me up. No worries!”

 

Hana was still a bit concerned, but then an idea popped into her head. “Why don't you stay the night?” she asked Lúcio excitedly. “You can sleep on my couch and we can stay up and watch movies or something!” 

 

Lúcio looked back at her with a playful look. “Didn't you just say a second ago that you were tired and wanted to focus on school stuff?” 

 

Hana smiled wide and shrugged. “Eh, I’ll survive. I got tomorrow and Sunday, anyways. As they turned the corner and got closer to her dorm, Lúcio laughed again. 

 

“I think I might just take you up on that offer.”

 

\---

 

Hana was so busy during the weekend with the sleepover and catching up on school work that it ended just as soon as it arrived. Satya had called her as soon as she and Lúcio reached her dorm to tell her that the diner would be closed for the rest of the weekend, so she had more than enough time to do as she pleased. Hana didn’t mind, after all she was certain Ana would be too overwhelmed emotionally to run the diner after her daughter showed up. Hana was still reeling about Fareeha, and wanted desperately to finally be able to speak with her. But for now, she would have to wait. The sleepover went really well; Hana and Lúcio stayed up all night watching movies and eating nearly every snack in her very tiny kitchen. Hana was still fast asleep the next morning, so Lúcio left her a note on the couch as soon as he collected his belongings and left. Hana would end up waking up in the afternoon to read it with a smile.

 

For the rest of her Saturday, she told herself she would get serious and focus on her schoolwork. Hana opened her fridge to make herself a super motivational power lunch, but completely forgot that she and Lúcio had raided her fridge the night before. So, she got herself dressed and spent an hour at the grocery store. Once she got home and stocked her pantry, she had just finished making her lunch when she remembered a new episode of one of her favorite shows was on, so another hour of the day flew out the door. As soon as the show ended and her lunch was eaten, she cleaned her dishes and headed to her room. “Okay,” she said out loud to herself as she placed her textbooks all over her desk. “Let’s get studying!”

 

But there would be no studying to be done at that moment, because she turned and noticed her laundry basket was overflowing. 

 

She tried to tell herself to leave it. She tried telling herself over and over.

 

And yet, there she was, walking towards the laundromat with her basket in one hand and a bag of spare change in the other.

 

The afternoon turned into night, and Hana spent the whole day busying herself with numerous tasks and activities that didn’t involve her school work. As the moon glowed in the sky and through her bedroom window, Hana sat down at her desk to finally get started on her homework…

 

...only to immediately fall asleep on top of her papers.

 

Well, there was always Sunday. Night.

 

Sunday night.

 

\---

 

Monday morning came around fast. A slightly tired Hana hopped off her moped and made her way into the diner. When she entered, however, she paused and spotted Fareeha by the counter, sitting on a barstool while her wheelchair was beside her. She was in the middle of a conversation with Ana and Angela, but they all turned when they noticed Hana had entered. The three women smiled and waved the young waitress over. 

 

“Oh Hana,” Ana said. “I’m so sorry about you having to leave so soon because of…the circumstances. But I’m so happy I’ll get to introduce you to Fareeha in person!”

 

Hana nodded enthusiastically. “This is incredible! Like...you’re alive! You’re here! Wow!” she said excitedly. Fareeha tilted her head towards her in thanks, and slowly maneuvered her body so she was entirely facing Hana. 

 

“My mother told me a lot about you, Hana. She says you work very hard, and the customers love you. Surprisingly, even cranky Amélie likes you. I’m impressed.”

 

Hana blushed. “Gosh, I’m just doing my job. Didn’t realize I made such an impact.”

 

“Well, if you’ve done a lot for my family then I consider you a friend. I thank you for, haha, holding down the fort in a sense while I was gone,” Fareeha chuckled. 

 

“Oh, oh my God! I’m sorry, but I really gotta know, what happened?” Hana asked, jazzed up on curiosity. “Why were you missing for so long? Why did everyone think you were dead? Are these too personal? These are too personal aren’t they, gosh, we just met and I’m li-”

 

Fareeha laughed and patted Hana on the shoulder. “You have to get to work, so I’ll tell you the short version. I was out on an assignment with other soldiers, we got attacked and I was the only survivor. I was afraid of being found by the enemy, so I decided to go into hiding until I was certain I was safe. It took a very long time, as you can tell, but what matters now is that I’m home.”

 

Ana came around the counter and wrapped her arms around Fareeha, rubbing her cheek against her daughter’s. “My girl is home!” she exclaimed. “It’s like a massive hole in my heart was refilled. Don’t ever leave me like that again, or I’ll send Reinhardt after you.”

 

“Mother!”

 

Hana laughed along with the mother and daughter, but then stopped as she remembered another major detail. “Hold on, wait! Angela!” she said as the blonde blinked at her. “Angela, you said you weren’t gonna be able to make the party, but you showed up with Fareeha. What was up with that?”

 

Angela cleared her throat, looking a bit embarrassed. “Well...I feel kind of bad about it, but...I was actually the first to find out Fareeha was alive,” she said. “Remember the hospital I said I’m doing an internship with? It was the one that received her medical documents, and I found out that way. The hospital let me bring her to her father’s home and to the party, and still give me credit for the day.”

 

“Amazing how things just...fall into place, am I right ladies?” Ana asked cheerfully. “Alright, enough of the mushy stuff, back to work, girls. Fareeha, while you’re sitting there, you can help fill the salt and pepper shakers.”

  
“Goodness mother, I get home from pretending to be dead and you’re already putting me to work?” Fareeha smirked. “Fine then, at least let me play some songs on Bastion. I still can’t believe Torbjörn got that hunk of metal to work again!”


	18. Easy to Say, Hard to Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana is beginning to feel the weight of not only her private life, studies, as well as her work. It's getting a bit heavy, thankfully she has people on her side to help her through this tough time. We also learn a little more about some side characters!

With her shift completed for the day, Hana cleaned down the counter as she always did. Through the serving window she could hear Mako humming an old song she didn't know the song of; so old it wasn't even on Bastion's music track. And that's saying something. She untied her apron, and folded it over her arm. "Pretty wild, Fareeha being alive huh?" she asked.

"Yeah." Mako replied simply as he walked out towards the front, folding his own apron. That frilly pink one that Jamison had got him. Unlike the old one, he never left this one over night in the kitchen. It always went home with him every day; and I guess now it was back to his and Jamison's home. 

"The whole atmosphere here has picked up a lot!" she commented, "You've loosened up a lot too, daddy-o."

"Daddy-o?" Mako asked, raising a thick eyebrow at her.

"Eh. Bastion's putting me in the mood to talk like a swinging sixties chick, ya dig big guy?"

"I was born at the end of the sixties so I don't know." he replied, offering a small scoff and snort. "But I'll play along and say sure. I get it."

Hana giggled a little, and after Jamison swinging by to 'collect' Mako from work (Jamison was taking a well deserved break from work too now, and it was a wonder he wasn't hanging around the diner all the time now) she bid both farewell and hopped onto her moped to make her way home. First she'd change out of her work clothes, since no way would she show up to class looking like a waitress. Even if the dress suited her and was super cute, it wasn't what you'd wear on campus.

Even if some students showed up in their work gear. She recalled one guy showing up in his McDonalds outfit, hat and all. Now that'd been a sight for everyone, as the guy had been running on only two hours sleep due to finals, and he looked about ready to collapse at any second. And the constant smell of McDonalds food that followed him around wouldn't have helped his situation at all.

But as soon as she walked through those hallowed halls, today, she could feel the weight begin to settle onto her shoulders. Classes were getting harsher, textbooks felt heavier in her backpack, and even though she loved working at the diner sometimes she felt as if it sapped some of her energy. How had Angela managed medical school and working so many jobs at once? She'd have to ask her for tips, maybe, next time she's at work. Maybe she knew some secret way to stay pumped and focused after a long days work.

"Good afternoon Miss Song," Mr. Shimada welcomed her personally as she walked into the hall he'd be instructing her and her classmates in. "Surprised to see you are ahead of schedule. We do not commence class for another five minutes."

"Huh?" Hana blinked and looked at her watch. Sure enough, she was early. She didn't know how that happened but that was fine. She didn't need him getting grumpy at her for being late today. "Oh. Well would you look at that!" she moved to get herself a seat, for once she could make her own choice instead of being stuck in a seat left unattended on account of arriving late. "Man, what a party huh?" she asked, trying to fill the awkward silence with small talk.

"Mm," he nodded. "I did not realize you worked at Fareeha's." 

"What! You didn't mention me to Jesse? Or he mention me to you?" she played offended.

"We speak of other things." Mr. Shimada replied, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"I'll bet." she grinned, cheekily.

"Watch yourself Miss Song. You are still my student foremost." he warned, but she could tell he too was playing along in his own, strangely strict way.

"How'd you meet?" Hana asked, boldly, resting her chin in her hands. "Tell me the story of how a cowboy seduced a mathematician from Japan."

He, for once, looked genuinely surprised by the question. Clearly he wasn't the most open of people, even his fellow co-workers didn't bother him on account of how focused he was at his teachings and grading of his students work. They gave him a wide girth, and while he did appreciate that, it also made him a little... lonely at times. Not that he would ever admit to that.

"We met in the Spring of last year." he complied, and he could tell his honesty surprised the girl. "It was a spring shower, out of nowhere. I was making my way through town when I slipped and dropped my books. He was across the street, and he rushed over to help me up and then help me collect my papers." the man made his way over to the white board, and began to write the lessons calculations upon it in red marker. That meant this was important, things that his students would need to memorize for the fast approaching tests. "We talked and he helped me reach my destination. I do not recall getting his number, nor giving him mine but I do not regret it."

"Awwwww~" Hana cooed.

This seemed to snap the man out of his rare showing of vulnerability and he turned back to face her. "Enough of that now." Mr. Shimada warned as some more students began to filter into the hall to find their seats. "Class is about to begin."

And the weight was back on her shoulders and it all but literally had her lean forward entirely onto the desk in front of her, and offered up a small, pained groan. Classes. Outside of work that's all she'd been focusing on. She hadn't even updated her game for the latest patches yet, she had been literally too busy to even turn on her gaming computer. Only her study laptop was on lately, burning the midnight oil as she typed up papers and made notes, researched, and double checked things.

Her eyes were beginning to burn by the end of the maths class. Mr. Shimada's exam was not going to be easy, she could see that by the way he explained the calculations on the board, and how he gave a confident, almost gloating smile at his students about the procedure. She didn't even remember making her way out of his class, more information burning and cooking away in her brain, much less making her way through the halls.

"Oh, hello Hana!"

The familiar voice of Efi drew Hana's brain out of the cloud it was being warped by and she blinked to see the young prodigy standing there with her bag on its little wheels. Clearly a twelve year old wouldn't be capable of carrying around the dense books that older students could, so she had her handy dandy carry case. It was bright green with yellow lotuses on the design, and a few spare butterflies here and there. "Heya Efi," Hana smiled.

"Yikes, you don't look too well. Are you okay?" she asked, concerned for the appearance of her friend.

"This is the face of finals, Efi. You'll see it on a lot of people's faces." Hana replied. 

"Ohhh." Efi looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry Hana. I know things are getting heavier here."

Heavy, yeah. That's the word in the air, or in this case around her ankles, dragging her feet like lead weights. "Yep. And it's only gonna get worse but you know what you do when things get worse? You stick to your guns and you power through it! Like my Dad says, life's like a game, and you gotta keep leveling up at every turn to face the next boss."

Efi giggled. "Your dad sounds like a fun guy!"

"Oh he is." Hana smiled proudly. "My Dad's a great gamer, and works for a game developer. He knows his stuff."

The talk with Efi as the two walked down the hall together, was a needed breather from studies. The two talked about their fathers, both men clearly smart as Efi's father was a technological powerhouse who was working in research and development for computers. He was pushing the boundaries every day it seemed and it was clear where Efi had gotten her smarts from. 

The two soon parted ways, and Hana made her way towards Mei's class. Naturally she knew they'd move outdoors eventually, but maybe she would meet her on the way. In fact she did, but she found her in the science wing of the campus. There she was gathering some books up, and she lifted her head as she saw Hana pause by the door. "Hana!" Mei smiled, "Hello." she looked concerned for a moment and Hana began to wonder if she really did look half as dead as she seemed to look. "Classes getting to you?" Mei asked.

“Maybe a little bit.” Hana replied with a tired, but positive smile, as she glanced around the room. It was so rare to have classes in here, the room almost felt new. In more ways than one, it seemed, as if she really looked at the windows they looked a lot newer than the other windows in other classrooms. On top of that, was that a scorch mark up against the ceiling? Hana was in no state of mind to try and decipher what was wrong with the room as Mei had approached her by now.

“It always gets very hard this time of year.” Mei said sympathetically. “I see so many students suffer through exam time. You just need to be more careful and not wear yourself out too fast!”

Easier said than done. Classes were classes, and that meant studying up for tests and exams, papers that were due, reports to be submitted for appraisal and combining that with her work it made it hard to find time to take a breather that wasn’t just passing out at her desk after finishing a few hours worth of grinding her way through books and paperwork. 

“I just don’t want to fail,” Hana admitted at last. “My folks put so much into getting me here and I don’t want to disappoint them...”

“I can understand that.” Mei said, smiling in a supportive way. “My parents pushed a lot of pressure on me too, to get the top studies in my class. It is not easy.”

“Sure isn’t.” she agreed. There was a lot of pressure to succeed, to be the best, and be on top. She was number one, after all, and she wasn’t going to risk losing that on account of her studies getting the better of her. Nothing in life had done it so far, but now it was feeling like school work was going to knock her from her pedestal.

Mei offered a supportive smile again. “It is best to pace yourself. Tackle what you can for the day, but it is just as important to not put off what you can’t do today either.”

“I can’t help but feel people who think up phrases like that haven’t really gone through enough to make those kind of comments.” Hana huffed, frustration on her face.

“Mmm.” Mei had to sympathize. “Easy to say, hard to do huh?”

Though the talk was short before the lesson officially began, Hana appreciate it as much as she’d appreciated Mr. Shimada lowering his ‘hard ass teacher’ persona with her if only for a moment. As she sat on the grass with the rest of Mei’s class, the topic being preparing for the upcoming exams, she couldn’t help but still feel a little buzzed. Like bees were buzzing around her head, messing up what she’d learned and worked really hard at memorizing. She almost couldn’t understand some of the phrases that Mei was talking about, it got that bad.

And now she had a massive migraine on top of feeling dizzy. 

She left the class feeling nauseous. Hana groaned as she grabbed herself some water from the nearest vending machine, muttering in Korean about the prices of a bottle of water before taking a long sip which ultimately did not help her migraine. Groaning yet again she sealed up the bottle before putting it into her bag, and was just about to continue walking to her dorm room when her phone began to buzz. Pulling it from her pocket she saw it was Lúcio. 

“Heyyyy,” she greeted.

“Hey!” he answered, “You sound terrible.”

“I feel terrible.” Hana admitted, lifting her free hand to pinch at the bridge of her nose. “Feel like my heads about to hatch a new life form.”

“Yikes,” Lúcio winced. “That ain’t good. You staying hydrated, girl?”

“Got my water.” she reported, looking down at her bag that hung on her shoulder to just make sure a bottle of water was in there and she hadn’t hallucinated it.

“How about food, you had any?” he asked.

Hana paused. While she had gotten something for breakfast, lunch and dinner had passed her by with little to no visit of good old food stuff. She smiled weakly as she began to walk along. “Okay, so maybe I missed a few meals.”

“Oh now that ain’t right. Look, dump your studies at your dorm and meet me at the East gates. I’m taking you to get some good grub in you.” Lúcio said, “Alright?”

She had to laugh a little. He was so bossy when he wanted to be. “Okay, fine. Gimme five.”

“See ya then!”

~*~

The diner he took her to wasn’t one she’d been to before. It was the kind of diner that had all sorts of stuff tacked onto the walls; these ones were movie themed it looked like. So many Batman things up on one wall, even a Bat Corner with all sorts of merchandise. Another wall had Star Wars things. Strung up by a window was a collection of mugs that were designed to look like old cartoon character heads; it was a little grizzly to imagine drinking out of the decapitated head of your favourite cartoon rabbit.

“I don’t normally eat here too often, nothing here is healthy. Believe me. Nothing.” Lúcio said as he’d walked her through the doors.

Hana could all but feel the cholesterol of the food climb into her heart valves as she entered. “I believe you..!”

Lúcio chuckled as he picked up one of the menus as they found an unoccupied table and handed it to her. Looking it over Hana saw the likes of fried pickles, macaroni and cheese with bacon bits, burgers both made for main meals but also desert burgers. A nutella burger? She’d never heard, or dared to imagine, such a thing and the ingredients listed in it was already giving her a sugar rush.

When she saw a few of the waitresses smile and wave to him, she had to grin. “Regular, huh?”

“What can I say, love their mac ‘n cheese on pizza fries.” he replied with a smile.

Pizza fries? She’d never heard of such a thing but now she wanted to know what exactly that entailed. After traversing the menu for a few minutes Lúcio called over a waitress for them to place their orders. Menus returned, the two relax for a moment. Hana needed this. Just a bit of space and time away from all the rest of the things that had been flying around her head, warping her brain into a storm.

“So what’s going on?” he asked after a few needed moments of silence. “You’re looking stressed and that ain’t you.”

“I know,” she admitted on a weak laugh. “Just. Everything, this time of year. Studies, homework, all that weight of responsibility and junk that every other person on campus who isn’t a faculty members feeling. Work, too. I love it I really do but now it’s really starting to take my time up and I don’t know how Angela studies as hard as she does and work all the jobs she does too. Even if she lost one, now she watches Torbjörn’s kids...! That woman must be an angel or something.”

“It feels like a cycle I’m stuck in. I get tired, I put things off, then I panic, I rush through my work, I feel depressed, someone takes the time to talk to me about it, I feel better for a little while but then I’m tired and the whole thing begins again.” she went onto explain further. “I hate this cycle.”

“Who wouldn’t?” Lúcio asks. “School ain’t easy. Not meant to be. And if it is, either you’re a genius or you’re cheating your way through.”

“Ugh, I hate cheaters.” Hana frowned a bit, playing with her fork. “The number of people who hack in the games I play online is ridiculous... I know winning’s important, but isn’t the hard work getting there worth it?”

“Same can be said ‘bout school.” he replied. “Yeah?”

“Well. A little, but you don’t want to fail school. My parents would have a conniption fit each if I did.” she sighed and rested her head in her chin. “I can do this, right?”

“I think you can.” Lúcio said honestly. “You’re smarter than you think you are and you’re pretty determined. You don’t let stuff scare you either, I mean you put yourself between me and all that mess in the club. That’s a sign you’re not scared easy. If you’re not afraid of getting hurt, I don’t figure it’s fair to let yourself be scared of classes.” he smiled weakly. “I know they’re super different but that was the best analogy I could think of.”

“I appreciate it.” Hana smiled softly. Lúcio was a good friend, one of the best she’d made since starting up her education in this town and she really appreciated his input. He was always just so upbeat and positive about things, and maybe he had some magical healing aura that worked its magic on those around him. She was already feeling incredibly better by just sitting here and chin wagging with him as much as they’d done already.

The food was brought to them pretty quickly, and Hana learned just what pizza fries was and not only were they unlike anything she’d had before, but they were insanely delicious. Lúcio was right though, they were delicious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sassy here! I must apologize profusely for how long it's taken for this chapter to come out. I've run into a lot of obstacles in my own life not unlike the same that Hana's going through which made this chapter all the more important for me to finish. I hope you forgive me with this submission to our ongoing, and soon closing, story. Thank you again for being readers!


	19. The Hardest Part

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana gets down to business.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Hana's gonna need to work extra hard at this point in her school life. But don't worry, she's got the support of her friends!

Hana stared at the front doors of her school. She still had plenty of time to get to class, though the thought of what was ahead of her made her stop in her tracks. Today she was going to take her end of semester exams, and she had been preparing for them with great intensity. She put her gaming streams on hold so she could spend her weekends studying and finishing her last homework assignments. She could still feel the ache in her head from last night’s late final push. She had asked Ana for the last few days off from work so she could focus on schoolwork, and Ana was more than happy to give her a break.  _ Maybe I’ll get a her a nice little Thank You gift _ , Hana thought to herself.

 

She exhaled. This was it. She had to go in and do this. It took a lot of work for her to get into school, and now she had to keep up the work in order to stay in. Hana stepped inside the building and made her way to the first class of the day. She and Mr. Shimada exchanged eye contact as she entered the classroom, and he gave her a nod and a small smile. Hana took her seat and watched as the rest of the class filled the room one by one. As soon as class began, Mr. Shimada stood up from his desk with a handful of papers. He closed the classroom door, and made his way to each student while handing each of them their exams. When he stood before Hana, he noticed the nervous look on her face. He whispered to her, “Do not focus on failure. Take a deep breath, bring your mind to your studies, and you will do well.” Hana nodded at him as he handed her the exam, and made his way back to his desk.

 

He pulled out a book from his bag, and submerged himself into the story in his hands as the room was filled with small sounds of pencils and pens scratching papers.

 

\---

 

Before she knew it, Hana was stepping out of Mei’s classroom. She was feeling a bit surprised; Despite their different personalities Mei’s exam was much longer and more difficult than Mr. Shimada’s. Hana was the last one in the class to finish, and worried that she didn’t do very well. Mei was a perfect example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Even though she was a very nice teacher, she knew when to hit it where it hurts. Hana walked down the hallway to her last exam of the day, mind slowly wandering to daydreams of being home in bed or spending time with Lúcio. She would kill to be anywhere but there right now. Hopefully it would all be over soon and she could be free from the stressfulness of test taking. 

 

The day went on, her finishing the last exams of the day and leaving the school while thinking about what would be in store for the last of her exams tomorrow. Hana became even more grateful that Ana gave her time off from work; she probably wasn't going to sleep well that night. Fareeha enjoyed helping out at the diner with her mother, so Hana wondered if she was the one picking up the slack while she wasn’t there. Either that, or Satya was using her amazing multi-tasking skills to keep the place in order. Heck, they could be working together and making one hell of a power couple. 

 

Hana stepped into her dorm room building, headed into the elevator and made her way up to her room. Once the elevator stopped on her floor, she walked out keys in hand to her door. She unlocked the door and stepped into her room, turning on the light to illuminate her single bedroom residence. Some peace and quiet, just as she desired. As she set her things aside, the text tone on her phone went off. Hana pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket, and saw that she actually had multiple text messages. She didn't have time to look at her phone in school due to being hyper-focused on getting her exams done, so she missed a few pings. 

 

The first one was from her father:

 

    > Hope your exams went well today. Your mother and I are rooting for you.

 

The second one was from Lúcio:

 

    > Don’t overwork yourself alright? When you get home with those high marks let’s celebrate!

 

The last one, interestingly, was from Jamison:

 

   > Come find me tomorrow when you're done!

 

Now that Jamison was back on track with his finances, he was able to afford a new phone. One that had a decent plan, for once. Hana had assumed he would just be using up his monthly limited text messages solely for talking to Mako, but the fact that he was actually making the time for her made her feel a bit appreciated. She thought to herself on how to reply, then began tapping along the digital keyboard on her screen.

 

    > At the garage?

 

Hana put her phone down on the kitchen counter while she began to make dinner for herself, and as she opened the fridge her phone vibrated with the usual cheery text tone. Once she placed ingredients onto the counter, she picked her phone back up and read Jamison’s reply.

 

    > Actually I’ll just stand outside the diner 

    > I’ll be the tall handsome fella checking out the hot chef thru the window

 

Hana rolled her eyes.

 

    > ok lol. Where are you kidnapping me to?

 

She waited a few moments.

 

    > its a surprise

 

Raising an eyebrow, Hana replied with an “okay” and returned to making dinner. She was indeed curious as to what Jamison had in store for her, but she knew he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. But, as she sat down in front of her television while her food cooked in the oven, she pondered how the day would go tomorrow.

 

\---

 

The next day came around, and Hana dove into her exams with a little more confidence. It probably wasn't a good idea to stay up late and cram her head with last minute studying, but she felt that she was more prepared than yesterday. It even showed when she entered the classrooms and was handed her tests; as soon as the papers hit her desk she pulled them close and filled each question box and essay line with elaborate answers. She left the school building with a wide smile on her face, and began making her way towards the diner.

 

Sure enough, as he said he would be, Hana found Jamison standing outside the diner. His face and hands were smushed up against the glass, a big wide smile across his face as he peered inside. A few diner patrons inside who were seated near where he was stared at him with confusion and slight disgust, and Hana sighed as she moved closer towards him.

 

“Are you done terrorizing Ana’s customers?” she asked him. Jamison must not have heard her approach, for he let out a surprised yelp as he lifted himself off the glass window and flung his arms in the air. “Didja hafta sneak up on me like that?” he yelled in response. Hana shook her head and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him away from the diner and on the corner of the sidewalk. “Okay now, I'm here and you said you wanted to take me somewhere. So, you lead the way.”

 

“Can I say bye to Mako first?”

 

Hana groaned and placed her face in her hands. “Why didn't you just wait INSIDE the diner then?” she asked him in an annoyed tone. Jamison just grinned and gave her a shrug. She muttered a “fine” as a response, and he immediately sprinted through the diner doors. Hana stepped over to look through the window, and watched with wide eyes as Jamison ran towards the part of the counter where the kitchen doors were located. Hana saw Satya approach him and yell something inaudible, but Jamison just ignored her and went as far as to  _ leap over the counter _ . Jamison then disappeared through the kitchen doors, a raging Satya going in to follow him. Eventually they both came back out, Satya grabbing Jamison by the arm and dragging him to the front door. The door swung open, and Satya tossed Jamison onto the concrete.

 

“You’re lucky Ana thinks something of you, nuisance!” she bellowed before slamming the door. Hana scurried over to where Jamie was on the ground, helping him stand back up. She was still in a state of shock, but he didn't seem bothered in the slightest.

 

“Was that really worth getting thrown out?” Hana asked as she brushed dirt off his clothes.

 

“Mako kissed me first, so I’d say so!”

 

\---

Cars drove past as Hana and Jamison walked down the sidewalk. Their path was at a slant, and their downhill tread was met with numerous homes and street signs.

 

“I’ve been so wrapped up in school that I never came down here,” Hana said. “So I really don't have an idea of what to expect.”

 

“Think you’ll like it,” Jamie replied. “Come down ‘ere sometimes with Mako so we can ditch the world for a bit.”

 

This sounded REALLY special if they were going on dates there. But once Hana noticed that the houses were becoming sparse and less trees surrounded them, she got an idea as to why that was. Ahead of the two friends was a wide, sunny beach. Hana immediately fell in love with the view of the bright blue sky with no clouds hovering over the glistening water. The fresh breeze felt amazing against her face as they stepped closer to the water. The ground soon changed from solid concrete to warm, soft sand. Jamison stumbled a bit due to his prosthetic peg leg at first, but quickly regained his balance. 

 

“There’s a bench over ‘ere,” he said to Hana as he gestured to a row of benches along the sand. “Just sit on down and take a load off or two. Careful ya don’t sit on a seashell or somethin’.”

 

Once they were seated, Hana slowly inhaled and exhaled as she closed her eyes. She took in the sounds that surrounded them; seagulls squawking in the sky, the waves crashing against the sand, children in the distance laughing and splashing the water...it cleared her head of all the stressful and negative thoughts. The only thing that mattered in that moment was how good she felt.

 

Hana was at peace.

 

When she opened her eyes, she turned to Jamison and saw that he was grinning from ear to ear. “Feel better?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” she replied. “This beach is beautiful! It makes me feel so calm. It's like I can come here and forget about all my problems. I think I read about this beach in the welcome guide from my school, but I completely forgot about it. I’m definitely gonna come down here more often while I'm enrolled to de-stress!”

 

“S’why I come down ‘ere! I hit tha sand and suddenly I’m not sad anymore,” Jamison said. “Took Mako back when we were...yeah. Anyway, made ‘im loosen up a lot too. Was good fer the both of us.”

 

Jamison placed a prosthetic hand on Hana’s shoulder. “When you go an’ pass yer tests, Mako an’ I’ll bring you back ‘ere and we can sip on some milk boba teas by the water! Maybe even roll up with some BBQ, though none of it's gonna be from piggies. Ooh! And Mako jus’ got a sidecar for his Hog, we can all ride around town or maybe even hit the highway! Whattya say ta that?”

 

“I would love that very much, Jamie!” Hana exclaimed. “Oh, and can I ask something while we’re here?”

 

“Shoot.”

 

“You ever gonna tell me what The Incident was?”

 

“Nope.”

 

She groaned.


	20. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana says good-bye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YALL IM FUCKING SHAKING THIS IS IT
> 
> We’ve reached the final chapter of MTO......I’m kind of emotional tbh like wow we did it kids
> 
> HERE WE GO [CRIES]

“I’m impressed by how quickly you’ve recovered Fareeha,” Angela said as she was making her way through the diner, prepping for the usual morning run. “But you don’t have to be here every single day!”

“Nonsense.” Fareeha said as she flipped the switch that illuminated the exterior signs to show that yes, indeed they were very open. “This is the family business, and I’m family aren’t I?”

“Moreso than anyone else here.” Angela replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “Least more than I am!”

“Far as I know though, Mother considers everyone here family in some way or another. I’m just top tier family. Special case.” she grinned as the front door opened and Mako made his way in through the doors. Fareeha raised her hand to the large, towering man, smiling as she did. “Mako, good morning!”

“Hey.” he nodded in response to her.

She watches him make his way through to the back kitchen before looking to Angela. Now, she’d grown up with Mako in her life as a large, silent guardian in a way. He had rarely spoken when she was younger, just a looming presence in the town and her mother’s life. Back then she could count on one hand how many times he’d smiled but ever since she came back he had smiled practically every day, had spoken at lengths with people, even joked. It was like he was a different man.

And because he’d found someone, and from what she’d heard, mostly in thanks to the new girl Hana. Amazing what one person could do to alter the lives of others around them.

Speaking of, the doors were pushed open and there was Hana making her way inside. Her first day back on the job after her break for all her exams and the girl looked like she’d gone toe to toe with the world in a fist fight and the world had won. She looked tired, exhausted with every step, as well as utterly heartbroken.

“Hana...!”

Angela was upon her first, hands out stretching to touch the young woman’s arm in concern. “Hana my dear what’s wrong? Are you alright?”

Mako peered through the kitchen server window curiously, raising a brow as Torbjörn made his way into work just a few steps behind Hana. “What’s this then?” he asked, moving around the two women. “Is she okay?”

“I got my results, from my exams.” Hana lamented, voice twinged with emotional pain.

“Oh no.” Fareeha heard Mako mutter.

“Not good?” she asked, leaning forward a little against the counter she’d just wiped down.

“Aw,” lifting his good hand Torbjörn patted Hana on the back. “Don’t fret lass. Every stumbling block can be climbed over. It’ll be all good in the end, you’ll see.”

Hana lifted both of her hands to wipe them against her eyes looking as if she was half ready to cry but she suddenly burst out a sound that made everyone jump. “SIKE!” she young girl grinned widely, before putting her hands on her hips and puffed her chest out. “I passed em!”

The reaction was a collection of groans, rolling eyes, and even a slight smack against her back but they turned into bemused chortles and snorts. “Sorry, I’m sorry I couldn’t resist!” she laughs weakly, before moving to grab the napkins and utensils to lay out on the cleaned table tops.

“I’m glad you passed, Hana.” Fareeha smiled. “Can I ask what your marks were?”

“Ehhhh,” Hana made a face. “They weren’t the best scores in the world I really struggled with some but technically they’re passes and that’s what matters in the end.”

“That’s too true.” Angela smiled.

“Oh!” turning her head, Hana looked at Angela. “You’re in medical school, don’t you have yearly exams too?”

She nodded her head. “I am, and we do.”

“Did you have them recently too?” she asked, suddenly feeling like a bit of a heel for not having asked her. Angela managed herself so well, sometimes she honestly forgot she had multiple jobs, and was studying to become a doctor all at the same time.

Again, Angela nodded. “Don’t worry,” she raised a hand, smiling sweetly. “I passed. I know have a few weeks break, but I am going to use my time to read up on the next semester's circulators and see what I am in store for. I also have to start looking for placements in a hospital as I’m approaching my last year and you always have to be working in a hospital for some parts of your final year of study.”

“Another job?” Hana asked, frowning.

“I may have to drop a few in order to do it. Which sucks, as I won’t be getting paid for it. But,” she sighed, and straightened her shoulders. “This is what I must do to become a doctor. My dream.”

“I wish I had a goal like that.” Hana admitted. “I still don’t know what I’m doing.”

“No shame my dear, no shame.” Angela insisted, patting her shoulder. “We all find our course eventually!”

Right. It was only the first year. Hana still had time to figure things out. Before she could continue her conversation with Angela, the door swung open and the ever so cheerful Officer Oxton strolled in. “Cheers, loves!” she exclaimed. “What’s with the get-together? Is there something going on?”

“Wait, how did you get in?” Hana asked. “We’re not even open yet!”

Ana walked up behind Lena, a hot cup of coffee in hand. “No worries, I treat our regulars extra special. Besides, I bet she would love to hear the good news, wouldn't you Lena?”

Officer Oxton’s smile grew bigger. “Good news, eh? Lemme hear it!”

“I passed ALL my exams!” Hana said cheerfully. “No repeating a year or anything!”

“Ahh that's fantastic! Congratulations!”

Lena pulled Hana into a hug, then lifted herself back up and took the coffee from Ana. “Thank you for the good news and good coffee, but I gotta head on out now. After today, Emily and I are going on vacation!”

“Tell your wife we said hello,” Ana said. “And don't hurt yourself on the way out. Goodness, you're always in such a rush!”

“Congratulations again Hana!” Officer Oxton said as she dashed out the door coffee in hand. As everyone watched Lena sprint passed the windows, Ana laughed. “I don’t know what it is, but you seem to bring out the best in people.”

“What makes you say that?” Hana asked.

“That poor girl works so hard, she hasn't taken a vacation since she joined the force,” Ana told the young waitress. “Not even after she got married. Since meeting you, it seems she’s learning to...slow down I should say.”

“Oh, wow. No joke. But she deserves it!” Hana said with a smile.

“And we think you deserve a little something too,” Fareeha said as she made her way to Hana’s side. Smiling wide, she placed a hand on the young woman’s shoulder. “We’d like to throw a party for you to celebrate your good grades! You could also say it’s your Temporarily Going Away party, too.”

Hana’s face lit up. “You guys wanna do all that for me?”

Fareeha nodded. “My mother and I discussed it last night. She would love to have it here so you had the opportunity to say your good-byes to everyone. And don’t worry, we’ll make sure everyone behaves this time.”

“Wow...we barely had the chance to get to know each other, and you’re being so nice to me!” Hana said in slight shock. “I don’t know if I deserve all of this, but thank you!”

“You’ve done a great deal for my mother and everyone else in this diner, so that tells me enough about how much a good person you are,” Fareeha told Hana. “You’re a hard worker and a kind person, Hana.”

Without hesitation, Hana quickly leaned into Fareeha and pulled the taller woman into a hug. Fareeha was surprised by the gesture at first, but a second later was happily returning it. Ana clicked her tongue contently, and joined the hug circle with a small chuckle. As the three of them broke apart, Ana clasped Hana on her back. “That’s enough of that,” Hana’s boss said. “Back to work, everyone!”

\---

The party was a few days away, so Hana spent the time in between working and spending time with friends. As promised, the next day Hana found herself back on the beach with Mako and Jamison in tow. The three of them were currently sitting on the light yellow sand, sitting on a large beach blanket surrounded by different kinds of foods. A large rainbow umbrella sheltered them from the bright hot sun, and the sound of the waves crashing the shore was joined by boisterous chatter.

“I hated my Burger King job when I was sixteen,” Hana said as she scooped herself a decent amount of potato salad onto her paper plate. “So many customers thought they were above me and kept trying to get free stuff out of me. It was so annoying!”

“Oi, I remember when I worked at tha Wendy’s by tha mall,” Jamison rolled his eyes as he bit into his buttery ear of corn. “Lost count ‘ow many times I got told ‘I asked fer the meal not just th’ sandwich!!’ Bah. My hearin’ aid works just fine, thank ye.”

“To be honest, it’s a miracle you even got that job,” Mako chimed in. “You tell employers you’re disabled, and they pretend you never even applied.”

“Sure would be awkward if ol’ Ana told ya that ya couldn’t work at Fareeha’s!” Jamison replied. “What with tha one eye an’ all.”

“Yeah, I learned that lesson a long time ago, so I started keeping things to myself when I fill out applications,” Hana said sadly. “These companies can put ‘we’re an equal employer!’ all over their stuff, but it’s not always true.”

“You’re one of the most blunt people I know,” Mako replied. “Dunno you actually had somethin’ to hide.”

Hana put her untouched plate of food down onto the blanket, and began wringing her hands. “Well, yeah…” she trailed off. “I’ve had my share of problems like anybody else. But, I wanna believe you guys would understand.”

Mako and Jamison shared a look, and put down their own plates. “This have ta do with why ya started school so late?” Jamison asked her. The waitress nodded slowly, and made eye contact with the both of them before taking a deep breath.

“It was already hard enough to balance my schoolwork with my fast food job, but one day I came into work after school and my boss called me into the office. I dunno how, but…” Hana let out a shuddered breath, but pushed herself through it to continue. “She...she said someone told her that I was a- that I was...transitioning for the past six years.”

The two men’s expressions changed to that of pure shock, but stayed silent as they let her continue. “They came up with some dumb excuse to fire me, and the whole thing messed me up for a long time. I was so depressed, I started failing a bunch of classes. I got held back a year. It really sucked.”

Hana sighed again, but she managed a small smile. “But, my parents didn’t give up on me. My dad, especially. He helped me get back up on my feet, and would stay up with me when I studied for tests. My dad is my biggest hero.”

She picked up her plate of food again, and started eating. “But all that bad stuff’s behind me now! I’m a lot happier now, and it’s all thanks to everybody in my life who went out of their way to help me. Like my family, like Lúcio, everybody else at school, at the diner, even you guys!”

Mako gave her a super rare yet genuine smile, and Jamison cackled. “Gettin’ ya all wrapped up in our drama made ya a better person, eh?” Jamison laughed. “Well, what’s life without a lil’ chaos, right Mako?”

“Everyday with you is chaos,” Mako replied to his boyfriend contently. “I can’t even go to bed without you breaking something in the apartment.”

“That was ONE TIME!”

Hana laughed as she watched the couple continue their play fight, Jamison shrieking things and bumping his forehead against Mako’s shoulder while the larger man watched in amusement. Hana had watched these two grow not only as a relationship, but as individuals. It was incredible to think that she even played a small role in their development, and they had gone from looking at each other through a diner service window to sharing a bed at night. Her thoughts turned to Ana and Reinhardt, and how ever since the waitress came into town the two had rekindled their romance. Was Hana like some sort of Secret Cupid? Everyone kept telling her how she had an impact on their lives, but she never really felt the magnitude of it until that very moment.

“Y’alright?” Mako snapped Hana out of her whirling thoughts. Hana nodded her head, and stuffed a slice of potato into her mouth. “A lotta stuff on my mind, that’s all!” she mumbled. Mako didn’t seem very convinced, and leaned forward to place his massive hand over her smaller one that was holding a fork. He pushed her hand down, and commanded her attention.

“Well ya kinda dropped a huge bomb earlier,” Jamison piped up. “Me an’ Mako just wanna make sure yer okay. That ya KNOW yer okay.”

Putting her plate and silverware down again, Hana pulled her hand from Mako’s to wipe at her eyes that were suddenly filled with tears. Tears she didn’t even know she had. “Yeah,” she said. “A lot better than I was earlier this week, that’s for sure.”

“Well,” Jamison reached over to her and placed his good hand to her shoulder for a moment, giving it a squeeze. “That's good, can't go havin’ life mess ya up too much! You're strivin’ for something special after all, just like me! If fact,” he drew back to stroke his chin in contemplative thought. “A lot like me.”

Hana wiped an eye with the back of her hand while Mako handed her a very large handkerchief. Honestly it was big enough to be a baby blanket it felt so huge. “Huh?”

Jamison smiled, though it didn't hold his usual manic energy like it normally did. This was a far more subdued smile, and it looked almost out of place on him. “I'm savin’ my money for somethin’ real important like. I'm gonna be gettin’ myself the top surgery I've been wantin’ since, well. Always!” He erupted into a short burst of laughter. “Finally get ta say goodbye to me binders ‘n hello to a flat chest at last! Mako’s helpin’ me, ya see. He's a right angel from above ain't ya big guy?” He looked to him affectionately, like a schoolboy with a crush.

“Yeah.” Mako replied. “Someone's gotta teach your scrawny ass how to manage your funds better.” Those rough few months where Jamison couldn't even afford his HRT had been Hell on him after all. And as far as Mako was concerned it would never happen again.

Meanwhile, Hana was blown completely out of the water. She had no idea that she was in the same boat as one of her own friends, but mostly due to her knowing it was inappropriate to assume. But the surprise turned into a wave of relief and comfort. She felt less awkward about sharing something so personal, now that she was aware she was in similar company. She picked up her plate again and lifted it towards Mako. “I think I’ll have some of that corn now!” she said happily. Mako grabbed the pair of tongs aside him and grabbed an ear of corn from a container, and brought it over to her plate to place it down on the paper surface.

\---

The party for Hana had the same setup as the last; it took place at the diner after hours, and everyone who attended the previous party was invited. Ana even allowed Jack and Gabriel to attend, but on the condition that they don't start another fight or else she would ban them forever. “Mako said he would be more than happy to toss you both out the door,” she had told them. The two old men shared a disgruntled look, but agreed for Ana’s sake.

Reinhardt came bursting into the front door with his signature cheery demeanor, stomping proudly over to the young waitress who sat next to Lúcio at the counter. “Hana my dear!” he bellowed. “Congratulations on a successful semester! I brought you a gift!”

The massive mailman handed a small gift-wrapped box to Hana, and she accepted it with glee. “Aww, you really didn't have to do that! But thank you so much!” she said. Reinhardt just gave her a smile and nod, and gestured for her to open it. Hana began ripping open the gift, and when she opened the small paper box she saw what was hidden inside. It was a heart-shaped locket with a long silver chain, and carved onto the surface were even smaller hearts swirled all the way around. Hana popped the locket open and inspected the insides where there was room to fit two photographs. “Make sure you put two very important people in here,” Reinhardt told her. “That way, they stay close to your heart.”

Hana put the present down to hop off the barstool and pull Reinhardt into a hug. Reinhardt immediately reciprocated it with a hearty laugh. “Thank you, I love and appreciate this so much!” Hana said as she parted from the hug. Reinhardt looked down at her and beamed a bright smile. “That’s not the only surprise I have today, though!” Reinhardt said.

“Another present?!” Hana asked excitedly.

“Something like that, maybe!”

Reinhardt left Hana and Lúcio be, and the two friends made their way around the diner to speak with the others. Torbjörn once again brought his wife Elsa, but they were also accompanied by all of their children. They ran around Hana enthusiastically, calling her pretty or asking her a thousand questions about what college was like. A few of them even knew Lúcio, and begged him to give them a free copy of his next album. As Elsa got her children under control, Torbjörn took Hana by the hands and smiled. “Don't think I would’ve ever gotten Bastion runnin’ have you never walked through these doors,” he said to her. “You’re like this dinner’s own lucky charm! So many wonderful things happened after you joined the crew.”

“Thank you so much for everything Torb,” Hana replied. “Thanks to Bastion, I know every classic song from the 1950’s!”

The two laughed as they hugged, and parted ways to speak to other guests. Next to the couple was Amélie, who made eye contact with Hana and addressed her with no smile but a small nod and a raise of her teacup. Hana responded with a nod of her own as well as a smile, and turned away to keep making her rounds.

Officer Oxton sprinted up to her and Lúcio, her wife Emily in tow. Lena talked excitedly about the vacation she and Emily were about to embark on, and Emily pressed a sweet kiss to her wife’s cheek to get her to relax. Hana and Lúcio giggled at the loving gesture, and said their goodbyes (Lena and Emily’s flight was later that night so they couldn't stay as long as they would have hoped to).

They were then approached by Jesse and Mr. Shimada, and Hana’s teacher appeared to be really enjoying himself. “Oh Ms. Song,” he addressed his student. “Wonderful work on your exams. You should be very proud of your achievements.”

Hana smiled at her teacher’s high praise. “That means a whole lot!” she said. “I studied REALLY hard on your exam, and I'm psyched I got an A!”

Hanzo returned the smile with a rare, genuine one of his own. “You came a long way from when you first started, and I hope you keep up that work ethic next semester. I look forward to teaching you again.”

“Y’know you’re real cute when you're actually nice to your students,” Jesse said with a smirk.

Hanzo swatted Jesse by the arm as the farm boy laughed wholeheartedly. “It's okay darlin’, if you don't want me embarrassing you in front of your students we can go flirt by the punch bowl.”

“You could never embarrass me, Jesse,” Hanzo said, a dreamy look in his eyes. “But, you never shy away from letting others know we’re together.”

Lúcio leaned towards Hana to whisper. “Uh, I think we just stumbled into something private,” he told her. “Think we should leave em be?”

“Yeah, good idea,” Hana whispered back. She brought her attention back to her teacher and his boyfriend, and cleared her throat. “We're gonna keep going around if that's okay! You two enjoy yourselves okay?”

“Certainly,” Hanzo replied with a nod. “Again, a job well done Ms. Song.”

Hana and Lúcio headed over to Satya and Angela, who were in the middle of refilling food trays. Angela had just finished putting down a fresh tray of macaroni and cheese when she looked up and noticed the two friends were in front of her. “Oh! Are you two ready to eat? I’ll serve you!” the doctor-in-training said cheerfully.

“Totally!” Lúcio said as he picked up a paper plate from the edge of the table. “But I do hope you girls get to enjoy the party at some point. It's like you never stopped working!”

“I’m perfectly fine with keeping myself occupied,” said Satya. “Even during recreational events such as these.”

“Did you get to invite Sanjay again, Satya?” Hana asked. “I don't see him anywhere.”

Satya gave the other waitress a small shrug. “Unfortunately, he had to travel for business purposes. But, he sends his love and his congratulations to you.”

Hana smiled. “I hope he comes by again when I come back from summer vacation!” she replied as she handed Satya her plate.

“Your parents must be very excited to have you back home for a few months,” Satya said while scooping mashed potatoes onto Hana’s plate. “Do you have a job back home to keep you busy? I do hope you don't plan on slacking off during your summer vacation.”

“Yeah, actually! My aunt runs a textile shop and I’m going to work for her until I have to come back. She said she’ll even teach me how to sew during slow days,” Hana explained. She took her plate back from Satya and handed it to Angela as soon as Angela was finished serving Lúcio. “I take it Fareeha’s gonna be taking my place while I'm gone?” Hana joked.

“She would, but I don't think she can fit in your uniform!” Angela laughed. “Fareeha actually wishes to find work as soon as she fully recovers, but for now she is perfectly happy helping her mother. She has missed the people of this town, and is taking the opportunity to reconnect with everyone.”

“No matter what she chooses to do, Ana is very proud of her and just happy to have her daughter home,” Satya stated. “Being together again is what truly matters in the end.”

“Oh of course!” Hana said.

Hana and Lúcio thanked Angela and Satya for the food, and stepped away to find a table that wasn't currently occupied.

She easily spotted Jamison, having helped himself to some of the food being offered by Angela and Satya. Somehow she contained a small snort of amusement at just how Satya still begrudgingly put up with Jamison’s general existence. Even with him cleaned up to the best of his abilities it seemed she wasn’t won over by him.

Of all the people in this town to become such good friends with, Hana wouldn’t have expected Jamison to be one. If she’d run into someone as eccentric as him back home, she may have given him a wide berth yet now he was like a brother in arms she couldn’t replace at all. Even with him stuffing some food into his mouth, with his mouth, in front of Angela and Satya. Poor Satya looked like she was about ready to throw up.

Licking his hand, Jamison is led away by Mako who at least knew what should be done in public, but he didn’t look entirely ashamed. If anything he looked amused. No doubt he found Satya being put off just as funny as Jamison did.

“Enjoying the food?” she asked him as Mako walked him past her.

“Too right I am! Even if Mako didn’t make this stuff,” he glances up at his boyfriend, grinning toothily. “This stuff’s pretty sweet.”

“I can’t make everything.” Mako points out. “Otherwise I’d have no down time at all.”

“Can’t be havin’ that now!” Jamie laughs, before turning his attention back to Hana. “Still, what a night! So far no one’s beat up anyone else yet. Already one up the last party this place had huh?”

“That’s for sure.”

“That does make for a far better time, doesn’t it?” Ana had, somehow, snuck up on the group. Just how an older woman like herself could suddenly magic her way in and out of a room was a little mystery. “I’m glad that this one’s going better too. I do not want a repeat of last time.”

Lúcio nodded. “Yeah that didn’t... go so well.”

“The boys are being on their best behaviour.” she replied with the kind of smile only a mother can use. The one that screams authority and respectability and if you dare throw any of it back into her face you’d face Hell and high water.

Still, Hana highly doubted this party would end on such a shock as Fareeha returning from being presumed dead for so long. Now that was one Hell of a way to end a party. She cast a glance towards Jack and Gabe, the two men keeping a respectful distance from one another while clearly uncomfortable with being so close they were still behaving. At least they could be adults for once.

She spotted Reinhardt walking up to talk to Mako about something, clapping a large hand on the just as large man’s shoulder. Hana knew Reinhardt enough to know he was a very talkative man but here he appeared to be whispering something to Mako, whose deadpan expression almost changed a little with a raise of his eyebrows. But he proceeded to nod, before giving Reinhardt a thumbs up.

“Everyone, everyone!” Ana called out, drawing everyone's attention in the room to her as she moved to stand in what was generally accepted as the middle of the diner. She smiled, clasping her hands together. “Now, we are all aware of just why we’re here but just to be sure you’re all paying attention and listening to your elders,” a small joke considering the age range between everybody here. “We are here to thank Hana for all the help she has brought our little diner, and the friendship she brought with us.”

Hana felt her face begin to heat up a little and she brushed some of her hair behind her ear, glancing around with an awkward smile on her face. Jamison caught her eye and gave her two thumbs up, accompanied by one of his patented huge grins that showed off his golden tooth.

“While we’re sorry to see her go we know she won’t be gone for long. And when she does come back for the next school year, Hana dear,” she moved closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Know you are always welcome here and if you still need the work, consider yourself hired immediately.”

“You’re going to make me cry and ruin my makeup.” Hana said as firmly as she could, though her voice did give a little tremble despite her best efforts.

“Oh now we wouldn’t want that.” Ana smiled, patting her shoulder gently.

“Three cheers for Hana!!” Jamison suddenly shouted from his seat, going so far to stand up and hold aloft his drink, ultimately spilling most of it on him in his excitement.

“Oh my god no-” Hana started.

“Aw yeah!” Lúcio chimed in excitedly, “C’mon, everyone!”

Hana had to cover her face as she felt like it was about ready to melt off and that was before the literal cheering began. She’d never been the centre of this kind of attention; sure she’d have people cheering her on in her twitch streams but that was so very different compared to being right here to hear their cheers and clapping. She felt like she might as well melt into a puddle of goo on the floor, only to be cleaned up by Mako or Satya.

Laughing softly, Ana helped Hana to her seat. “Here here, before you die of embarrassment.”

Grumbling was the only answer she got, while Lúcio approached his friend and offered her a drink as a peace treaty.

“Ana,” Reinhardt had approached during this time. “I was wondering if I could ask you something!”

Blinking, Ana turned her attention to the towering mail man, smiling softly. “Of course Reinhardt.”

“Well!” he stroked at his bearded chin, “I know that this is Hana’s going away party and a big thanks to her for all she’s brought us but I feel as though now is good a time as ever to do this. Also, to take the heat off the poor girl!”

“I’m not that weak!” Hana complained, face still pink.

“Reinhardt?” Ana asked, cautiously, as she watched him reach into his back pocket and get himself down onto one knee. Doing so, put him more or less eye to eye with her but only if he slouched a little. He was a big guy, after all.

“Ana Amari,” large hands opened a velvet box revealing a very simple, but still elegant, looking ring. “I know you aren’t one to mince words so I’ll get right to it. Will you marry me?”

The atmosphere in the diner did a one eighty. Exuberance turned to shock, and Hana was sure she could hear Jamison vibrating from where he sat, gripping tightly onto Mako as he watched this unfold. Fareeha was stood to the side, watching this with a surprised expression but she didn’t seem overly shocked. Her mother had told her about how close she and Reinhardt had gotten, how he had helped her through some terribly painful times. And who wouldn’t want their mother to get with a huge beefcake of a man like that?

Ana stared at him in silence. Little did everyone here know the two had discussed getting married many times in the past. Neither were the type to mess around, or hide one’s feelings or intentions with somebody. Ana had spoken of how it would be lovely, and that if he ever felt it necessary he could make a big show and propose to her or they could do it quietly and announce their wedding to friends later. It seemed as though the brash old man had chosen the first option, so typical of him.

She loved it.

“Reinhardt,” she smiled as she reached out and placed both her hands onto his, which still held that velvet box. “Nothing would bring me greater pleasure.”

—

“You sure you got everything in there?” Lúcio asked Hana as he gestured to her gigantic suitcase.

“I hope so! Otherwise I’m gonna have to fly back and break into my old dorm room,” Hana replied as she patted the top of the suitcase.

Accompanied by Genji (who drove the three of them to the airport), Lúcio wanted to wish Hana good-bye before she boarded her flight. Her plane wasn’t boarding for the next half hour, so they had time to grab some snacks and converse amongst each other. Hana was glad that Genji got to spend a little time with them, she felt like she didn’t know him very well and she was starting to learn how funny and charming he was. It was no wonder Lúcio befriended the guy, and based on the looks the two men gave each other Hana wondered if there was a little something more. But she would just have to pry for info when she came back next semester.

Hana looked at the time on her phone display, then looked over to Genji and Lúcio with a sad look. “Well...looks like it’s time for me to go,” she said. She needed time to go through security and find her boarding area, but hated that time moved so quickly. She stood up from her seat and pulled out the handle on top of her suitcase. She took a deep breath, realization hitting her that she was really leaving.

Lúcio shot up from his seat and pulled Hana into a big hug. “You better text me as soon as you land, okay?” he said to her. There was a bit of a warble in his voice, and Hana wondered if he was trying to bite back tears as well. “I’m gonna miss you a whole lot. I’m gonna go to the diner more often and wish you were back already!”

Hana hugged the smaller man back, and smiled. “I’m gonna send you the silliest cat pictures everyday, and I’ll be back in town before you know it.”

“Mind if I get in on this?” Genji asked as he walked over to the two friends. Hana and Lúcio laughed as they partially separated to let Genji join in on the now-group hug. A minute passed, and Hana broke the hug so she could collect herself and head her way through security. “Well…good-bye for now!!” she said with a wave. Lúcio and Genji waves back at her, and she grabbed her suitcase and made her way to the other side.

As she handed the TSA officer her ID card and plane ticket, she began to reminisce on her first college semester. She thought about everything that happened- working at the diner, meeting and befriending Lúcio, getting Jamison and Mako together, meeting Ana’s presumed-dead daughter Fareeha, getting punched in the face, opening up about herself, and all the tidbits in between. Hana was now heading onto the plane and everyone’s faces flashed through her memory. They all loved and cared for her, and God knew she was going to miss them. Hana sat down at her window seat after sliding her carry on luggage into the compartment above, and stared outside. She was heading home, back to her parents’ house. Her first home. Hana smiled to herself.

She thought about visiting a diner after she made it home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sass and I would like to thank every one of you who stuck to this story til the very end. It was a fucking blast telling this story, and we’re incredibly humbled by all the love it’s gotten as each chapter went on. While we’re sad to say good-bye, we’re happy that y’all enjoyed it and we hope this ending was satisfactory. Cheers to the future!

**Author's Note:**

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